Counterfeit Kit Challenge #3 for August 2016

This is the challenge that we were given:

Challenge #3 for August 2016 - Sounds Foreign to Me!

foreign

adjective

 UK /ˈfɒr.ən/  US /ˈfɔːr.ən/​

 belonging or connected to a country that is not your own: 

Spain was the first foreign country she had visited.

foreign languages

In honour of our German inspiration kit, and the fact that you might have had a go at understanding the kit content list, I'd like you to be inspired by foreign words on your project.

Since I haven't ventured out of the United States as an adult (I need to remedy that!), my first thought was Epcot's World Showcase. I decided to scrap these  photos from the Norway pavilion's quick service bakery, mainly because the name of the bakery sounds so foreign.

All of the supplies for this page came from my August Counterfeit kit, and I have to say I quite love this kit, and the way my pages are coming together with it. I've made a couple more inspired by Shimelle's Project 20 class, which I will share on the 24th for our member's blog hop. Don't forget, we want to see your kits and what you are making with them, so be sure to email us at  thecounterfeitkitchallengeblog@gmail.com  and let us know that you would like to participate!

Magic Monday... Celebrate the Magic

For today's edition of Magic Monday, I took the challenge from Disneyscrappers: 

Night Magic Challenge 

Nothing is as beautiful at night as a Disney Park, it just twinkles and sparkles all around you.

The lighting around the parks, the parades, and the spectacular shows. I know you have many many night time photos that you want to scrap, but it can be intimidating.

For this challenge create a layout using photos taken at night in a Disney Park or Resort.

You must add something that sparkles

And also use these 3 night time Disney colors:

Pink, Yellow/Gold, and Blue/Teal

This challenge was the perfect inspiration to scrap this photo from the "Celebrate The Magic" castle show the last time we were at the Magic Kingdom. I used supplies from my April CKC kit, "Secret Garden." I made the journaling card in my Project Life app, and printed it at home. The glittery blue snowflakes were the only thing that were not in the kit, but I felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to use up the package and give a little nod to Frozen.

June Counterfeit Kit

Good morning! Can you believe that it is already June 1st? I can't! Somehow, the days slipped away from me so quickly in May! May was a super busy month for me, but I will post a bit more about in another post. For now, I am sure you are here to see my kit! This month, we were given the challenge of "counterfeiting" a new Basic Grey collection. I don't know about the rest of you, but I do remember the days when I used to save to buy all of the collection packs of BG that I could get get my hands on, and I would hoard every scrap of my precious Basic Grey paper. Now, with the rise of the signature collections through American crafts, by some of my favorite designers such as Shimelle, Amy Tan, Maggie Holmes, and Dear Lizzy, it has been a while since I really took a good look at Basic Grey. This challenge gave me that perfect opportunity! Here is a look at their newest collections:http://www.basicgrey.com/scrapbook .
For this challenge, I chose to counterfeit the Aurora collection. The purple, mint, and navy color scheme just drew me in! It is the collection that I most wanted to purchase from the choices offered, but I knew what to do instead...counterfeit it! Here is the Aurora collection:

The notes I made for counterfeiting...geometric patterns, stripes, stars/star charts, navy, mint, purple, with touches of kraft or gold, and black. Here are the papers that I chose:

I may end up using the "b" sides on some of them, but I think I pretty well captured the feel of this collection. We were given a good bit of liberty with choosing embellishments, so I tried to stick pretty close to the feel of the collection, but added in a few extra bits for texture that I wanted to get used up. Here is my whole kit for June:

A closer look at embellishments:

I am very happy with the colors and dreamy feel of this kit, and look forward to playing with it this month. And I promise to share, as the kids are out of school and sports for the summer, and my life will hopefully be settling down a bit. I hope you will play along, and perhaps reignite a love for all things Basic Grey!
Now, grab a cup of coffee (or whatever beverage you may prefer), and have a look around at what the other designers have chosen to put in their Basic Grey inspired kits!

Guest Designer Emma  https://www.flickr.com/photos/64255593@N06/

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

Lisa:  http://lisahausmann.blogspot.ca

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

Margie:  http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com

Stephanie:  http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.com

Susanne:  http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

Julene:  http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com

Sharing my homework...Wilna's Art And Design Class

This class was one of my favorite classes related to scrapbooking that I have ever taken! For any one that missed the original run of it on Big Picture Classes old website, she is now offering it in her shop, iheartstudio . I felt it was well worth the cost of admission, just for the cut files, much less the wonderful inspiration and instruction! Here are a few more of my pages inspired by the class, click on "Wilna's Art and Design" in my category tab to see more:

I fussy cut the "Primeval Whirl" title from an actual photo that I took of the sign. I painted the smear across the page with Gelatos, and the "Awesome" was a cut file from the class. I know that every time I use Gelatos, I think of Wilna, and her videos for 2Peas, because I never would have discovered them if not for that.

A couple of embellishment close ups:

The "windows were also a cut file offered up in the class, and I had such fun scrapping once forgotten photos from my honeymoon, and filling the grid up with little bits of loveliness from a past counterfeit kit, such as these fun stamped and painted mixed media embellishments:

I love the tiny textured treasures on this page. The stamped cork and canvas really adds a fun bit of texture to the page!

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."

Sharing My Homework...Paige's Pages

Today, I will be sharing for what I think will become a regular feature here on my blog. I am addicted to taking classes to improve my skills, and I was fortunate enough to win a 6 month membership to Big Picture Classes new monthly membership site. I have been looking over the content-rich new site, and I am so happy that I am getting the chance to learn from all of these uber-talented teachers, in so many different areas (the great thing about the new site-for a small monthly membership fee, you gain access to all of the classes and teachers, and they are all very talented and inspiring!) I also revisit class content from classes that I have taken from Shimelle, Wilna, etc. As I am inspired to make layouts from these classes, I will share my "homework" here on my blog. Today, I am sharing a layout that was inspired by Paige's Pages, a class taught by Paige Evans. There is no one as skilled as Paige at the use of patterned paper, which was one of the reasons why I chose Paige's class to focus on first. I had a 6x6 paper pad from My Mind's Eye included in my March kit, which was perfect for this design!

My page:

I love how my page turned out, messy stitching and all. And I love that I really got some use out of that 6x6 paper pad!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Member Blog Hop

It's one of my favorite times of the month! Time for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Members' Blog Hop, where we show off what we've been making this month, and how we have handled one or more of the challenges for using our stash kits. I hope you will grab a cuppa and hop along with us for loads of inspiration! We would also love to have you join us next month-everyone is welcome, it is free, and we love to see your kits and what you are creating with them!
I chose to play along with Challenge #1:  Border Craze:  Get crazy with borders, for my page:

I used my scraps from the kit and off cuts with punches to make border strips to tuck underneath the edge of my top photo. Such a simple thing to do, but a great way to use scraps and add dimension and emphasis!

I made this page about sitting on the "American Idol" couch when we visited World of Coke in ATL. It was fun to "sit where the stars sat" and I love that we got a photo of all of us together!

Thank you for visiting me today, be sure to come back later this week, as I plan to continue sharing what I created with my March kit...can you believe it is almost time for April's kit reveal?!

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

Lisa           http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

Clair          http://obstinatepursuit.blogspot.com

Gemma    http://thesteelenook.blogspot.co.uk

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

Tina           http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com*Go here next

Laura         http://beadsbuttonsandbirds.blogspot.co.uk

Virginia     http://celtichouse.blogspot.co.uk

Sherrie      http://sherriesmuddlepuddle.blogspot.ca

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

In Like A Lion...

Out like a lamb? I wonder if the old adage will hold true for us, as march has definitely come in like a lion, with the snow and ice last week, and the rain that is pouring down outside now!  Although I do think it is hard to get motivated to exercise or clean when the weather is bad outside, I do feel motivated to scrap! I started in to my March Counterfeit kit, and here is my first page:

I was inspired by this sketch from Stuck Sketches (I just rotated it to suit me):

It is not a page that requires a title or journaling, just pretty pictures from the beach that I wanted to include in my album. I used some of the cork pieces, some die cuts, some off cuts from the 6x6 pad, wood veneer that I colored by scribbling on them with the orange Gelato, then blended it/rubbed it in with my finger, a handful of the sequins, one of the doilies, and one of the flair badges.

A closer look at the details:

What are you working on today?

Supplies used:

November Counterfeit Kit Reveal (and a bit about my kit-making process)

Welcome to the design team reveal for our November Counterfeit Kits! The kit that was chosen for us to be inspired by this month was this gorgeous kit by Scrapbooks&Cards Today,
"Fabulous Fall":

I love this kit! So soft and pretty,I couldn't wait to see what I had to simulate the kit in my stash. I went a little overboard pulling papers to use, and had to put a few back. But, I love the kit that I came up with, and can't wait to get started using it!

(MY paper choices and how I chose them):

 I knew that I loved the Fancy Pants collection that comprises most of this kit, and I knew that I didn't have any of it. So, I started by thinking of the collections or companies that would give me the look and feel I was going for. I found a couple of gorgeous doily prints, a light blue one from a different Fancy Pants collection, "Wonderful Day", and a yellow one with a more vintage and distressed look, from Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1984. Next I knew I needed a soft and gorgeous floral. I found one that I loved in some new stash, from Crate Paper's Notes and Things. Next up was the orange Ikat print, and the closest thing I could find in my orange papers was the lovely aztec print from an older Crate Paper collection, Acorn Avenue. I decided then that the watercolor floral from acorn avenue would work just fine in place of the bokeh print, and chose a yellow chevron print from Crate Paper's Fourteen collection to replace the yellow chevron in the inspiration kit. I thought the cream leaf print from Bella Blvd would work as a substitute for the cream leaves and birds paper, and from there I just looked for a few papers to round out my kit , some with stripes, feathers, text, etc. I actually pulled cardstock for my kit this month, partly because the inspiration kit has it, and partly just because I have so much of it in my stash, and I have been using it rather frequently to back my layouts, etc. Instead of a sheet of vellum, I pulled an ANCIENT transparency sheet.

Choosing embellishments:
 I loved the texture effect of the embellishments in the inspiration kit, so I tried to stay pretty close. I had some "burlap" letter stickers that I put in first- even though the Thickers are mostly used up, I can still get a few more uses out of the sheet, and I will throw them away at the end of the month.I knew I also had a sheet of letter stickers from Sassafrass Lass that would go with my papers, and was very similar to the Basic Grey Mini Monogram stickers in the inspiration kit. I looked through my stash of flair, and pulled out a few that would go with my kit, and especially if I had an idea for using it on a layout. I don't have the leaf paper clips, but I have some very pretty metal filigree leaves from Freckled Fawn that took their place quite nicely. I had some Maya Rd leaf stick pins, and added one stick pin that I have had in my stash for a while. Maybe I will actually use them! I didn't have the burlap sticker shapes, but I have some canvas ones in similar shapes from Little Yellow Bicycle that work just as well (Maybe better, since they're in a white that would show mixed media a bit more, since I am still feeling inspired by the Art class I took last month!). I pulled some similar stamps and dies from my collection, and some tags, since there are tags in the kit. To finish my kit off, I added a few embellishment packages-from Basic Grey Persimmon, Crate Paper Close Knit (along with the matching 6x6 pad), and Crate Paper DIY Shop, and a package of wood veneer tags from American Crafts.

My kit, comprised entirely from my stash, "Fall Foliage":

I will definitely have to go through my fall photos for this stash-I love the warm, lovely colors, and the prints remind me of sweaters other lovely fall textures!

Are you feeling inspired? We would love to have you join in with us at the CKC challenge! I love it because it inspires me to spend less and create more. We have tons of tutorial posts, and some of our design team and participants do a lovely job "counterfeiting" the hottest new papers and trends from our inspiration kits each month. I don't usually make too many items for my own kits, simply because my own stash is so extensive (said with a blush and a bit of embarrassment) that I rarely even need to make anything, I usually have something that will work in place of each item in the inspiration kits. But it is nice to know I have the option to, and can do whatever I feel inspired to do or use! We would love to have you (yes, you!) join in, and make a creative kit for yourself to play with- and any way you choose to make a kit is alright with us! Be sure to link up, so we can drop by and admire your work!

Binty: http://scrappingpluv.blogspot.com
Margie: http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com
Lisa: http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com
Julene: http://julenebydesign.blogspot.co.uk
Stephanie: http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.ca
Susanne: http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com
Lesley: http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk
Angela: http://colestoucan.blogspot.co.uk
Lynnette: http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com
Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com

Found One More!

I had one more page that I made from the May JBS kit, that I overlooked with my Kill the Kit the other day. Without further ado;

Just a page scrapping some our summer adventures at the World Of Coca Cola this year-I may add some Coke stickers over the banners/under the edge of the journaling spot, but right now they are packed away, so I will the page finished (for now).

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 ...

True Beauty

Today's project was a labor of love, a layout that I created for my oldest daughter. I am using a few current challenges that I wanted to play along with, and my "Hearts And Flowers" kit from February. I followed along with the sketch for this month from Artful Delight:

And played along with Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals challenge:

To be honest, I was a little intimidated by this contest-I have so many great ideas for projects swirling around in my brain, and the projects that have already been submitted are AH-MAZING! But, scrapbooking is what I love and do the most craft-wise, and the time is drawing down to enter. So, I cut some flowers out of paper scraps with this die (I am happy to report it worked quite well in my Cuttlebug with 2 "B" plates), and inked them up with Tattered Rose and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks, and scrunched and shaped them with my fingers.

 

I am also entering this layout in this week's Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Easter/Spring, since the photo was taken in the spring, and nothing says "spring" to me more than flowers!

 

Here is what my finished layout looks like:

 

Supplies used: Basic Grey, Doodlebug, Graphic 45, DCWV,and My Mind's Eye patterned paper, bling by ZVA and Want 2 Scrap, Basic Grey letter stickers and Butterfly sticker, Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, Tumbled Glass and Tattered Rose Distress Ink and Ranger ink blending tool and pads, MME brad, and Mr. Huey's mist.

Sketchy Fun (And Killing a Counterfeit Kit)

Well, I have finally had some time to play along with some sketch challenges and get a little scrapping done with my kits!
My first page was based on this sketch from February1st at Stuck Sketches:

Here is my layout:

See It On 2 Peas

 

And, I created a layout for this fabulous sketch at Artful Delight:

 

Here is the layout:

 

See It on 2 Peas

 

So, with these two pages, I am going to say this kit has been killed! This is what I started with:

 

And these are the pages that I made with it:

 

This was quite a fun kit to work with!

Love, Elsie Blog Focus:Day 5 (Friday Wrap-Up)

Good morning! I can hardly believe that this week of stash busting and focusing on an older product has already come to a close! I got several pages finished this week, although not quite as many as I had originally planned...I am still pretty proud of the dent I am making in my stash! Today, I am sharing an example of something that I do with many of my older papers-Layering it in!

 

I had this lovely sheet of embossed pink cardstock from Love, Elsie (the Roxie collection, I believe). It was so fun and girly, I was reminded of this kit that I put together with my stash a few months ago, "Sassy Fashionista":

 

and a handful of pictures from the twins' first haircut! I had a lot of pictures (enough for a double page spread), and only one sheet of the embossed pink cardstock, so I knew that cutting it up and layering would be the best way to "stretch" the cardstock across two pages.

I ended up with this DPS:

A look at each page, individually;
Left side:

 Right side:

And...that's a wrap on this series for me! If you would like more inspiration for using up your Love, Elsie papers and embellishments, please check out:

• Glitter Girl Adventure#15: Old And New To The Rescue
• or, you can check out my Love, Elsie board on Pinterest-if I stumble across any new Love, Elsie inspiration, I will be sure to pin it!

You have a couple more days to follow my blog and leave comments on my posts for this week for a chance to win the kit filled with Love, Elsie goodies. Tomorrow, I will be at elementary school basketball tournament games all day-all 3 of my younger kids are in the semi-finals. If they win their first games, they will play in the finals (also tomorrow)...Cross your fingers for them!