041820 CKC April Challenge #2

CKC Challenge #2 - And I Quote

This is a journalling challenge. Use the sentiments from the stamp sets included in the inspiration kits as a starting point for your story. I've attached the stamp sets, so you don't need to head off and find them! - Master Forger Clair

I have had many days of late where it has been difficult to find my creative mojo. It's not for lack of projects to do & stories to tell but my heart has been elsewhere. I've had a tidy up in the studio & that revived my enthusiasm a bit.

The phrase that jumped out at me was "so this happened" (for obvious reasons.)  I had included a lot of phrases in my kit geared toward documenting this epic time in history that we are all experiencing. This b-side of the 2018 PinkFresh Studios/Indigo Hills 2 "Valley" navy paper seemed perfect for the subject, with its grungy vibe with splatters & splashes of black.

I stamped some of the new vocabulary of the times onto the background.

Fussy-cutting that teeny weeny globe with a virus? Totally worth it!

Stamping brings a whole new avenue of creative expression

The grands live only 5 miles away but a quick drive-by at a safe distance is as good as it gets these days...

Don't forget to get back to the CKC blog for:

• April 24th: Clair will be showcasing one of the community who's caught her eye this month 
• April 30th: We'll be offering another installment in our Killing Kits Series to help you find ways to use up all of your kit. 

We always love to see your work, so please share your kits and projects with us. You can use our Monthly Link-up page, post them in our Facebook Community, or share them on Instagram (we are @counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcapril2020). 

Hope this post finds you & yours well & safe. This, too, shall pass.

Thanks for stopping by!

110418 CKC Forgery on the Fourth

The inspiration kit papers:

Although I really adored the color scheme of the inspiration kit, when I searched for a larger patterned paper to start from I ended up with the center paper below - 2010 Basic Grey Hopskotch "Kissing Tag".

I knew right away that the clamshell pattern would be an easy forgery of the Crate Paper by Maggie Holmes/Willow Lane "Violet" b-side paper, using a Prima stencil & some mists!

So what does the photo below have to do with my second forgery?

This coffee cup sits on my desk because it makes the most perfect coffee ring stamp! I used Distress Inks blotted onto the cellophane packaging on the right & misted to create a wet ink puddle to stamp with my cup & blot with a stencil brush. A few splats of walnut ink finished off the forgery of the American Crafts by Vicki Boutin/Field Notes "Daydreamer" paper.

 So how did I do? I hope I inspired you to give counterfeiting a whirl. It's a great way to get elements of the inspiration kit into yours by making a coordinating version. Have a go at it!

We love seeing your work, so be sure to share your projects with us. You can do this by using the Link Up page here on the blog, posting in the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Facebook Community Group, or on Instagram (find us @counterfeitkitchallenge and share with #counterfeitkitchallenge).

Thanks for stopping by!

070418 CKC July Forgeries

Although my rogue Beautiful Maggie kit this month didn't really pick up on the motifs

in the inspiration kit

I decided to make a little extra inspiration for our followers.

First, the fun banner paper in the Paper Kit made me want to make an actual banner!

I looked for stamps that represented some of the motifs in the kits - camera, clock, travel imagery, guy stuff, birthday/party, summer... then I looked for sentiments that would apply.

Always fun to create!
Hope you are inspired.

Thanks for stopping by!

011616 CKC January Challenge #3

Challenge #3

Get your stamp on with repeat, 

I say, repeat stamping!

  

For me this challenge prompt IS a repeat, lol.

I inadvertently piggybacked this onto my Challenge #1 page.

I used 10 stamped frames for my list of faves page HERE.

So? back to the drawing board!

When I made my kit this month I didn't include any alphas.

My intention was to use my homemade Project Life-style cards as titles, like so:

(Just in case you might think those little flowers are stamped, 

they are simply fussy-cut from one of the She Art papers in my kit.)

My repeat stamping effort was concentrated on the hot air balloons.

I used three different stamps from 7 Gypsies, Glitz & an anonymous wood mount.

I practiced a little with second & third generation stamps to soften the images.

By using this technique you also visually push some of the images further into the background.

One of the reasons many of us hesitate to use our stamps is invariably they 

come out smudged or incomplete on a page that we've put a lot of time into. 

Yes - I stamped these AFTER I did the rest of the page!

No nail-biting allowed. There is always a remedy of one sort or another...

These two balloons failed to stamp a large prominent section of the image.

On this page I was able to just plop cloud bandaids on to camouflage the fail.

Sometimes I will draw the missing portions or use a white pen to visually erase extra marks. 

Gird up your loins & go for it!!! We are all about using up your stash, and STAMPS COUNT.

So let me leave you with the final product.

Apologies for the awful photos - this really looks amazing irl!

(If I get time I will re-shoot & remove these comments)

Fear not! Break out your most amazing stamps & have an inky play!

Thanks for stopping by!

061615 June CKC Challenge #3

This was my favorite challenge this month at Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog.

Challenge #3: One side or the other

  Focus on only ONE side of your project 

(either one...I don't have a preference) 

and keep the rest white space.

Fortunately I had some help from ScrapHappy's June sketch.

Link HERE to find out more about membership.

More inspiration from my scrap crush, Ashli Oliver.

I loved the stacked elements on the left & the layers of white.

Ashli Oliver for Simon Says Stamps

(Process video HERE)

We just spent a week visiting Gatlinburg, Tennessee en route to Atlanta to see "the peaches."

We went to the Georgia Aquarium to celebrate their birthdays.
Chloe adored being up close & personal with the fishies!
She struck a pose more than once of gracefully moving as if she was swimming...

I knew I wanted to use this fish stamp, so I used a less than perfect image
to hold it's place on the start of my layout. The blue paper is standing in for the photo.

Then I used Archival Ink for a perfect image, and added an assortment of Distress Inks to add color.
This process always seems miraculous!
Just blot the ink pads on your mat, spritz with water, and sop up the ink.
Then I added a subtle spray of gold Color Shine.

Fussy cut, highlighted the crown with a gold pen, added a few tiny gems, and some Glossy Accents for the eye.
Makes me look like an artistic genius but the Ranger products did most of the work!

Because of the direction of the fish stamp I flipped the orientation R-L.
Then I decided that my white space could use some added pizzazz.

Happy Scatter Etsy shop HERE

Had a blast putting this together!
(It was really hard not to add any color on the left.)

A little vellum accent punched with "bubbles" is the perfect finishing touch.

I hope you are inspired to tackle this challenge!

Thanks for stopping by!

050615 CKC May Challenge #1

Continuing our throwback angle this month,

WELCOME BACK to this challenge:

1/18/11 Roll the Die Challenge - link here

Using Bethany's clever homemade scrapping dice, she came up with this:

Make a card, inspired by fashion, with bling!

Now, I rarely make cards. 

I don't mind it but have very few occasions to send them.

I lead a very sheltered life, in real life!

I also really enjoy card shopping...he he :-)

I do happen to have a slew of blank cards on hand, though, 

picked up on a hugely discounted Black Friday sale many years ago at Joanns...

So with my kit, a card is an easy-peasy project!

I've decided to use the buttons in the Magpie Box for my fashion & bling.

That leaves most of the design work wide open...

Since I have buttons, I think I need buttonholes!
The green paper has that perfect border that reminds me of a bound edge.

 I layered that edge over another cut of the paper so that it is a three dimensional flap.
Then I sewed the buttonholes. This piece will be mounted to the card blank.
That will keep the wrong side of the stitching hidden.

Then I stitched the sentiment to the inside.
The back side of this stitching will also be hidden.
I also dressed the inside of the envelope & flap with a scrap!

Because I am not mailing this but including it in a little package,
I added a sweet sentiment to the envelope as well.

Cards are a great way to use up some of the little bits in your stash.

Thanks for stopping by!

041615 CKC April Challenge #3

And the inspiration just keeps coming over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog!

April Challenge #3 Spring Inspired: 
Let Spring help inspire your project

Living in a state at the top border of the U.S. makes me delight
in those first signs of life after the blanket of Winter begins to recede...

This moodboard at S.W.A.T. Challenge #53 was a great inspiration!

I began with the Messy thought of mimicking a pocket page with a grid.
I chose some elements & dressed them up with some vellum & stitching,
then made a simple title block with plans to add a little strategic stamping.

As I began to add the photos there was still a lot of empty white space.
Mounting the page on a grey & white polka dot helped add a border, an idea I got
from Susan's page HERE, but there was still an especially large space at the top... ugh.
I tried adding some stitching but it looked dreadful & now I had a row of holes!

I thought perhaps adding some washi, but couldn't get that to work either.
Eventually I cut strips of the script card from my kit to work in here & there.
I added some polka dot washi tape to them as an accent, covering the top corner with it.
Getting happier! Finally fussy-cut a little bee for that corner & it's done.

I also added some flowers made from the vellum circles & brads,
just like the ones made by Elsie at A Beautiful Mess!

One last change was mounting my title on a photo overlay with a big heart,
another subtle layer that adds the perfect sentiment about Spring.
It also gave me something to attach the title letters to with a tiny attacher!

I think I'm drifting further & further from the messy vibe!

Go ahead - celebrate Spring with a page from your counterfeit kit 
& a little Spring mood from S.W.A.T. Challenge's gorgeous inspiration board :-)

Thanks for stopping by!