July 2015 Counterfeit Kit Challenge Kit Reveal

Welcome to our Counterfeit Kit Reveal for July! This month we were given the Scrapabilly March kit to be inspired by:

Since I had a lot of navy and mint green in my June kit, I decided to take my kit in a slightly different direction for July. For some reason I was instantly reminded of Carta Bella's Beautiful Moments collection, which I already have:



So that was the jumping off point for my kit. This is the paper selection that I ended up with:

I think the border strip paper may have been the trigger for me to use this collection, and I basically went for similar patterns, since I had taken the color scheme in a different direction. There are border strip papers in both kits, lace prints (mine is from a vintage Basic Grey collection), woodgrains (although mine is admittedly quite different), brocade prints, black with white polka dots, frame paper, and a couple of the Beautiful Moments papers are floral on the other side (I don't intend to use the floral sides, so I included the sheet of foldies to get my flowers in there). Most of the papers that I selected are from the Carta Bella Beautiful Moments collection, but I also liked the chalk board cut aparts, and the frames from the Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party collection (stay tuned, I have ideas for this paper!),a woodgrain from Maggie Holmes, the black striped paper from the Shimelle collection, and added in a floral embossed specialty paper that is ages old, and a small floral print from a DCWV print, and some Sassafrass Lass "Foldies" for good measure.

Here is a look at my entire kit, including the embellishments:

A closer look at some of my favorite bits and pieces:

I am excited to use this kit-I love the quality of the Carta Bella papers, and I have some fun embellies in there this month too.
Now, get yourself a cup of coffee (or your beverage of choice) and have a look at what the other designers are up to this month-I know I can't wait to see the kits of supplies that everyone will be choosing!

Here is the list of designers making kits this month:

Guest Designer Julie https://jsquaredscrapspot.wordpress.com/

Lisa:  http://lisahausmann.blogspot.ca

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

Margie:  http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com *You are here*

Stephanie:  http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.com

Susanne:  http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

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

Julene:  http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com

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

Be Extraordinary...another page from my March kit

Can you believe that it is already the next to last day of the month? I am back to share another page from my March kit, "Welcome Sunshine":

The journaling says: "Every now and then, I look at you and see a stunningly beautiful woman staring back at me...don't grow up too fast, little one. You have a sparkling future ahead, and while I am excited to meet that stunning woman that I know you will become, I want to hang on to that sweet, mischevious little girl that you are as long as I can! I hope you will always cling to a piece of that sweet innocence inside of you."

Monday Morning Inspiration and Sharing

Does anyone else get a case of the "Monday's" like me? You just feel a little tired and blah, and uninspired? Well, I was looking through my photos and editing a few (basically because I didn't feel like doing anything else yet), and I realized that I had never shared the layouts that I made in a class I took a few months ago. If you have followed my blog for very long at all (as I know most of you have), you already know that I am a big fan of Shimelle Laine a.k.a. Glitter Girl. And, when she gives a class I generally try to join in. Her most recent class was a Return To the Collection , a spin-off on a popular class that she gave for True Scrap a few years ago, called The Perfect Collection , which was all about using a collection pack up from start to finish (or really, just about overcoming your fear of cutting into those pretty papers!). The Return to The Collection was  focused on using a single collection, but also inspired us to add in embellishments and stamping to complete our pages.  I signed up with the early birds, and was lucky enough to be given access to the first Perfect Collection class for a week. I used the first class as it was meant to be used, cutting by the pdf diagram, etc, and then jumped back in to do the second class. Here is a look at the pages the that resulted from the second class, using Glitz Designs Wild And Free Collection:
"Enjoy":

journaling reads:
 "S'mores by the fire; Fun time together with our family always seems to include some type of yummy food."

"Happy Hikers": 

journaling reads:

•  Finding walking sticks
• Swimming under the falls
• Braving the open sheer cliffs
• A rainy day for a hike
• Treasured moments to remember of time spent together

"One of the highlights of our first trip to John and Trina's cabin was definitely the hiking! We braved a few steep trails (and sore muscles on the 2nd hike), but it was worth it to see Greeter Falls and The Great Stone Door. Sept. 2012"

Flip Day Fun: 

journaling reads: "In honor of "Flip Day", Maggie Moo's gave away ice cream-if you could catch it! I'll get serious to catch Red Velvet Cake Batter Ice Cream!"

Must See:

journaling reads: "Bethany told me about this treasure in GA-a wonderful nature center. Lots of plants and animals to see-and it was FREE?! Can't beat that! Of course I made the kids pose on the wooden alligator! 7/24/2013"

This Is What Happy Looks Like:

journaling reads: "I don't know what it is, but being around Molley makes you act so silly! "Pawface" and "Cutie Patootie" are often heard, along with lots of other baby talk and the occasional "snuggle muffins." It it so funny to watch! Molley&Natalie 11/18/2012"

To Cool To Smile?

journaling reads: "Ahh... those wonderful teenage years, when you are still young enough to want to play (sometimes), but you don't want us to see you having fun and enjoying it! I get a glimpse of it in your eyes every once in a while, though! 7/14/13"

Silly, Fun, And Colored Tongues:

journaling reads: "An afternoon at the mall in Newnan, GA, finished with a trip to the candy store. Pixie sticks & blue Icees equal colorful tongues to show off for mom's camera. July 23, 2013"

If you stuck with me for this long, thank you!  If you are in need of some crafty inspiration, why not take a class? I highly recommend Shimelle's classes if you are looking for an easy to follow, inspiration-based class! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

The "C" Word...Getting a Jump on It

"Christmas"...I know, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving yet-but, here in blog land, the Christmas season is already in full swing! I am trying to get an early start, myself, as I have a very busy couple of months ahead. So, I am diving in with my Journal Your Christmas album preparations. So far I have a kit, and I have made my album covers, so I am way ahead of last year!

My album covers:

I made them 9 inches x 9 inches (I plan to make my pages 8x8, and I wanted the covers bigger), cut from chipboard sheets leftover from product packaging, and rounded the corners. The paper that I covered the chipboard with is from the Heidi Swapp Believe collection, and I added droplets of gold spray paint and Color Shine mist. The embellishment clusters are made up from a doily, sequins from my stash, pearls and gems from my stash and some grungeboard letters and numbers that I spray painted gold. All kit and album items are from my stash, either won or purchased before I decided to freeze my spending.

Here is the kit I gathered up, "Twinkle Lights":

Filled with beautiful colors, and yummy hints of golden sparkle and silvery shimmer, my stash kit is made up of lovely warm reds and icy spearmint greens, cream based papers with a bit of the chalkboard trend for a fun twist.  I am completely happy with this kit, and I don't think I will mind not having a purchased kit at all! I am a washi girl for sure, and my kit could also be called a "Washi Wonderland", because I have included bunches of it!

Here is a closer look at my pretty papers, since we all know that is my favorite part:

I have included selections from an older October Afternoon line, Very Merry, an older Martha Stewart line, Glitz's Finley collection, red embossed snowflakes from an older We R Memory Keepers line, a red chevron paper from Bella Blvd's Christmas Countdown, and several from Heidi Swapp's Believe line.

I have plans and ideas for handmade numbers, diecuts, and other embellishments, which I will share as I finish them. For now, I am happy with the head start that I have gotten on my Journal Your Christmas project!

Scrapbooking with 3 3x4 cards ...Or Not! (No Spend Challenge 4/50)

Well, I read the challenge on Shimelle's blog, went about and did some chores-and then I did it, but I did it the wrong way. Go figure! I promptly went, got 3 4x6 cards and put them on the page, and didn't realize I had done the challenge wrong until I went to blog about it! Oh well-happy accidents, right? This is my page:

 A closer look at some of the details:

I made this page for my son and his best friend, Trevor-photo was taken on his 5th grade graduation.
This was another page filled with yumminess from the last CHA: Glitz Color Me Happy (LOVE the Giant rhinestones), MME About a Boy, Jenni Bowlin whitewashed woodgrain washi, Jillibean Soup Wise Words, and all splattered with some yummy Heidi Swapp Sweet Cherry Color Shine.

Scrapbooking With A Choice of a Sketch (No Spend Challenge 3/50)

One of the challenges that Shimelle put to us this past weekend was to take one of the past Sketch To Scrapbook Page sketches (our choice), and make a page based on that sketch. My choice for this challenge is sketch 7 from this year:

 I used some of my favorite goodies from the Winter CHA show, these beautiful papers and embellishments from Cosmo Cricket's Sweet Disposition line:

 A closer look at my embellishment clusters:

 

Love this self portrait of the girls and me before we went to the ballet in March- a rare moment that I get to be in the photo, too-and even if it is imperfect, I still love that I got to be captured in that moment with them! I used the Cosmo Cricket Sweet Disposition line, and added in some of the other embellies from my kit-Jillibean Soup Wise Words, and the butterfly, heart, and sun are all from the Pea Pod pack, Jenni Bowlin whitewashed woodgrain paper tape, mist that I splattered across the page from Heidi Swapp and Perfect Pearls from Ranger, stickers from Glitz and MME, and gems from Glitz and Martha Stewart.

Scrapbooking on the Vertical with Shimelle (No Spend Challenge 2/50)

Three posts in one day? I must be sick! Nope-I just have lots of pages done that I am eager to share with you! And this one was done in response to Shimelle's challenge to "Scrapbook on the Vertical":

 

Title: "Around the World on a Horsey Swing"

Journaling: "Porter and all of the kids love the horsey swing at Gram and Papa's cabin in the mountains! Built by hand, with lots of love-offers up hours of fun and enjoyment!"

 

Supplies used: papers by Dear Lizzy and Fancy Pants, Stickers from Echo Park/Allison Kreft's Photo Freedom line, letter stickers from Echo Park, Jillibean Soup, and Cosmo Cricket, and a couple of printables from Glitz's digital Color Me Happy line, along with a Glitz sticker "Life is a beautiful ride", and a Martha Stewart gem.

The beginning of my CHA Favorites shares... (Glitz Designs)

One company that has been impressing the heck out of me lately is Glitz Designs! Their prints and papers have been the perfect mix of trendy and beautiful to me, and I love some of their embellishments so much...Giant Rhinestones are such a glamorous, glitzy touch to a page, and Bits and Pieces are perfect for tucking and layering on a page. Here is a peek at their new collections:

Wild and Free (my favorite of their new releases, I want some of this collection, ASAP!) The bright watercolors and fun prints seem so summery and girly to me, and I love it:

My favorite papers in the collection:

I love the watercolor side!

I love both sides of this one...who wouldn't? Girly Rainbow chevron, sunny yellow watercolor...

I love, love, love the dream catcher,  and what a unique and pretty twist on ombre! Need 2 pieces of this for sure!

 

And tiny heart washi tape? Swoon!

 

Another new line from Glitz that I love (and it rather surprises me that I love it so much, it is kind of different from the soft, girly collections that I am normally drawn to)- Dapper Dan:

 

I love the beautiful blues and emerald green-and I think that the gorgeous colors are the reason I am so drawn to it. And those woodgrains are yummy!

 

My favorite paper from this collection:

And this roller stamp of bow ties is just about the cutest thing ever:

 

 

There is another new collection that reminds me of summer from Glitz, Finley:

Love the bright colors and geometrics!

And, the gorgeous Giant Rhinestones:

 

 

And last, but not least, they have some fantastic new holiday collections coming out, that I will definitely need bits of!

For Halloween, they are releasing Raven:

 

Love these papers especially:

 

 

And these fantastic vintage-y whatnots:

 

And I definitely need some of this beautiful Christmas collection, Hello December:

The hard part will be cherry picking this line, as I love it all!

Yummy papers:

 

Beautiful Giant Rhinestones and What Nots:

 

So there, have I started your wish list off with a bang? What are you coveting from this season's CHA?
And...feel free to follow my CHA Summer 2013 board to see what I am loving!

Scrapping up a storm!

Yes, I have been scrapping a lot over the last few days...it's kind of my stress release ;-) So, I pulled out my February kit

 and made a few pages:

 and this one based on Shimelle's Sketch #9:

(the sketch):

And another take, with my March kit, on the same sketch:

 I used Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm, Amy Tangerine Yes Please, and Maggie Holmes for Crate (all of my favorite goodies from the most recent CHA, basically!). I also used Cocoa Daisy and Amy Tangerine stamps from my kit, a white gel pen, and added in a set of embellishments, because I just love these yummy Glitz Giant Rhinestones...

Thanks for allowing me to share with you...now I have to go scrub some floors and do some laundry, to make up for all of my time spent scrapping this week ...