Freebie “Friday” for (inter)National Scrapbooking Day

I love learning, creating and sharing. That is why I offer freebies up to you each month. I have both a layout sketch (in printable pdf as well as editable photoshop) and an electronic cut file (in svg) for your electronic die cut machines.

Here is some further exciting news… new for 2023 are PRINTABLES.!! You can print them at home, cut apart the embellishments and use them to create your projects. This month I was inspired by the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday here in the US. You can see all the details in my reveal video, or read on for the short version.

For iNSD this year I am releasing a full collection kit! I’m very excited to share this complete 8.5×11 digital and printable scrapbooking kit called Fly High.



Printables

Since I am most excited about this printable collection, let’s start here. These files come to you in an 8.5×11 inch format for easy at-home printing—or use them digitally. Keep in mind that monitor/screen colors and printed colors will NOT be the same! Screen colors often appear more vibrant. Colors even vary from printer to printer!

The pattern papers are ready to print and use. Embellishments will either need to be fussy cut, or use the print-then-cut version for your electronic die cut machine. The file names help you know which is which. Fussy cut files will have the work “fussy” in the name! I try to keep the fussy cutting to simple shapes. Plus, any circle elements can be punched out with a 1″ circle punch or die. Any cutting tips beyond these will be in the current video reveal!

Fly High
Embellishments & Pattern Paper

  • download the bundle
  • Released May ’23
  • Embellishments come in fussy-cut and electronic machine-ready files.
  • See the video reveal

Cut File

If you are a cut file lover, I’ve got you covered too! My video covers any details for this file and any tips and tricks I have to share. Be sure to get all the info by watching above. This month I have a few items to compliment the paper line.

Fly High Cutfiles

  • download SVG file
  • download Silhouette Studio file — coming soon
  • See a video
  • released May ’23

Sketch

As the printables took me a long time to create, I have not created the sketch yet. It will be coming by the end of the week. And perhaps even a layout video featuring the Fly High collection, so stay tuned. 😉

MAY 2023

  • Printable pdf version
  • Editable Photoshop version
  • See release & layout video

The download links have been included besides each image. However, you can always head over to my Freebies Page to peruse the catalog of files I have offered in the past. And if you have any ideas I’d love to hear them. I can’t make promises but I can take suggestions!

Until next time, have an artful day.

Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), May ’23

As a design team member over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge group I play along with as many of our monthly inspiration challenges as I can. The Forgery on the Fourth project is definitely one I enjoy! That is where we see a scrap product we like and set out to recreate it with supplies we already own. So let’s go ahead and dive in to what I have for you this month.

We are being inspired by this kit from the Not Just for Boys kit club called Noteworthy. Notice in this picture the “wonky” flowers and the geotags? That is what inspired me this time.

I easily saw how both these items begin as circles. In the case of the geotag, it is a circle atop a triangle shape, much like an ice cream cone. So I created a temple just that shape!

With that template ready to go, I traced it many times on various papers, cut them out then decorated them with stamped circles and arrows much like the inspiration image. (You’ll see the final results in a moment.)

For the florals, I layered up various circle stamps in white pigment ink as well as blue ink, then punched them out with a circle punch. For the leaves, they started as circles too! Once a circle is punched, you place the circle partially back into the same punch and then cut out a “cats eye” shape to create the leaf. This is more understandable if you want to watch the video below. But here is the final pic to see what I mean.

You can see all the details of these builds in the forgery video.

For more creative ideas, the CKC blog has more forgery examples to check out. I hope this gave you some ideas on how you can recreate your favorite products with supplies you already have on hand. Don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

Until next time, have an artful day.

CKC Kit Build, month ’23

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

This month Sheryle Thomas is our guest designer. Give her a warm welcome over on our Facebook group,. She is from Michigan and is a retired nurse. Now that some of her care duties are behind her she has time to use the stash she has been collecting. I think the CKC group will certainly help her do that.

Now we can get to the paper stuff. To start, here is our inspiration kit. It is Noteworthy by the Not Just for Boys kit club. Julene is our team hostess and she appreciated this kit since it moved far away from pinks and florals.

That circular geometric paper caught my attention instantly. Then upon closer inspection I noticed greens, yellows and a bit of blue along with plaid and woodgrain. So that is where I went with my kits. Oh, that is not a typo. I did say kits, plural. With May being a Layout A Day month, aka LOAD, I will be telling a variety of stories so I wanted to break my kit up into page kit themes all while keeping the inspiration in mind.

I had a formula for my kitting. Two papers were pulled from a current Pinkfresh Studio paper line called Spring Vibes^^. That line had colors and geometrics that caught my attention. Then I added in a third focal sheet of something from my stash. Sometimes it was inspired or sometimes it was just something that fit the other papers. Finally each kit got a sheet of woodgrain. For embellishments I pulled an alpha set to match, included some type of enamel dot type element, journaling/ephemera bits, a stencil, some type of icon embellishment, and finally word elements. Those words were the first thing I added and those set the theme for the kit to pull all the other items. Notice the purple tags in the photo? That labels each kit’s mood.

And as such, with our tradition of naming kits, I am going to call my kit Not Just for One Mood, as a nod to our inspiration company!

Don’t forget that each month I also create my own elements to add into my kit. Of course these are inspired by the original kit, but often have a twist of their own. So don’t miss what I will make in just a couple of days.

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video.

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits. To see the full hop list this month, head over to the CKC blog post and find the list near the bottom.

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries. Until then, have an artful day!

Until next time, have an artful day.

PRODUCTS USED^^

^^ Disclaimer: I offer affiliate shopping linked products when possible. This shopping won’t cost you anything extra, but I get a small kick back from the companies for sending business their way. It is an easy way to tell me “Thank You” for the content I provide. I appreciate you using my links!

SCT Sampler Kit Unboxing, April ’23

Getting my SCT Sampler kit in the mail each month is a bright spot. This small affordable package is just enough newness + surprise to keep me satisfied. This month the package contained products from Scrapbook.com, Talyored Expressions, Simple Stories and LDRS Creative. It is jam packed with goodness.

I wouldn’t want to leave you wondering just what to do with these supplies. So I almost always make a project as soon as my box arrives. That way I am sure to use it instead of just showing it off. This time around I again made a 12×12 layout. But I had an interesting idea on how to put that 6×6 pattern paper to use! Check it out.

Of course if you want more information you can watch my YouTube video to get a better look at the kit products and my project.

If you want more info on these kits, check out the links and info below.

SCT sampler kit information
Please note: you can not order the current kit. Instead you sign up for a future beginning date for your kits. Kits currently run between $14 per month (1-year commitment billed every 4 months) to $17 per month (4-month commitment billed fully). Extras not shown in the video include a private Facebook group with video shares each month, a cut file download to match the theme word and discounts for prominent online scrapbook shops.

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at what these little kits have to offer and seeing it put into action with a project. I’ll be back soon with more crafty goodness. Until then, have an artful day.

Until next time, have an artful day.

PRODUCTS USED^^


—– From Scrapbook.com—-

—- From ACherryOnTop.com —-

—- From Taylored Expressions —-

Disclaimer: I offer affiliate shopping linked products when possible. This shopping won’t cost you anything extra, but I get a small kick back from the companies for sending business their way. It is an easy way to tell me “Thank You” for the content I provide. I appreciate you using my links!

Introducing the brand new… GEMINI II machine!

I’ve been on the fence for a while now about upgrading from my manual Sizzix die cutting machine to a powered/electric die cut machine. Two reasons behind that line of thinking is that 1) I’ve been doing more die cutting and feeling limited by the size of my platform and 2) With that much die cutting + my age, my hands and wrists are feeling the strain.

I was looking seriously at two machines… the Sizzix Switch Plus and the Gemini. Then some set of circumstances landed me on the HSN shopping website and there was the brand new Gemini II machine. While my hesitation all this time had been the price of these machines, I decided now was the time. If I was going to make the switch, I was going to do it with the latest model with the most up to date features.

So the new machine landed on my doorstep. As an aside, I bought the machine at a high price and when HSN put it on sale days later, THEY emailed me to say they refunded the difference in price. I’ve never shopped HSN before, but that type of customer service definitely makes me re-consider my anti-TV shopping point of view. A little.

I knew I was going to put this machine to the test, so why not film it and share it. As you can see in the picture above, I really threw everything at this machine. That was a lot of filming, and even more editing to make the video manageable. I could have been two hours long, but then no one would watch. LOL.

If you don’t want to watch the video, the end story is I like this machine and am happy I bought it. There are a few niggly things that are less than ideal, but nothing is life is perfect. For this machine, the instructions had a couple of unclear points. No big deal. However, the larger thing is that the problem with electric machines warping cutting plates is real! I’m working on learning to adjust my workflow to paying more attention to cutting plate care. Even so, I have been making die cutting projects aplenty! Here is a quick look at the one I shared at the end of the video.

And that brings us to the close of another post. I hope you found this review helpful. Until next

PRODUCTS USED^^

^^ Disclaimer: I offer affiliate shopping linked products when possible. You can use these links to buy these products, or any products from the site once you get there. This shopping won’t cost you anything extra, but I get a small kick back from the companies for sending business their way. It is an easy way to tell me “Thank You” for the content I provide. I appreciate you using my links.

Freebie Friday, April 2023

I love learning, creating and sharing. That is why I offer freebies up to you each month. I have both a layout sketch (in printable pdf as well as editable photoshop) and an electronic cut file (in svg) for your electronic die cut machines.

Here is some further exciting news… new for 2023 are PRINTABLES.!! You can print them at home, cut apart the embellishments and use them to create your projects. This month I was inspired by the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday here in the US. You can see all the details in my reveal video, or read on for the short version.



Sketch

Here is a closer look at the sketch. I created a layout with this sketch as part of the reveal video! You can see a photo gallery of that below as well.

APRIL 2023



Cut File

If you are a cut file lover, I’ve got you covered too! My video covers any details for this file and any tips and tricks I have to share. Be sure to get all the info by watching above.

Modern Doily



Printables

These files come to you in an 8.5×11 inch format for easy at-home printing. Keep in mind that monitor/screen colors and printed colors will NOT be the same! Screen colors often appear more vibrant. Colors even vary from printer to printer!

The pattern papers are ready to print and use. Embellishments will either need to be fussy cut, or use the print-then-cut version for your electronic die cut machine. I try to keep the fussy cutting to simple shapes and any circle elements can be punched out with a 1″ circle punch or die. Any cutting tips beyond these will be in the current video reveal!

Celebrate Moms
Embellishments & Pattern Paper

  • download the bundle
  • Released April ’23
  • Embellishments come in fussy-cut and electronic machine-ready files.
  • See a video

The download links have been included besides each image. However, you can always head over to my Freebies Page to peruse the catalog of files I have offered in the past. And if you have any ideas I’d love to hear them. I can’t make promises but I can take suggestions!

Before we go, here is the photo gallery of this double page layout. Until next time, have an artful day.

What else is new?

If you don’t follow my YouTube channel, you may be wondering what I’ve been up to in April. Hopefully you’ve already seen my posts for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit build and first two layouts. If not be sure to head back to read up on those.

I’ve had a few other things going on so far this month.

First up as this photo indicates, I did get a Mystery Box Monday project done and I liked how it came out. Be sure to read on for more on that.

I also made some sweet little bouquet embellishments. I did not do my usual project forgery for the CKC group this time around as my ideas were very simple and not worth a whole post/video. These sweet little bouquets came about from a spin off of the other project I worked on this month…

…I did a very big product review that I will detail in another post (coming soon!). I put that product to use in a pretty project, so be sure to check that out!

Mystery Box

Each month I reach into my mystery box of crafty supplies and pull out three items. Much like that cooking show with the mystery basket ingredients, I have to put those items to use on one crafty project. Will these ingredients work together? Or will it be a recipe for disaster? Let’s find out…

Here is a peek at the mystery items I pulled out of the box this time around. The “first” item was actually a bundle of three things as part of the thank you note from the shop. I hade some sequins, some floral embellishments and a stamp of a cat in a window. The next two items are as pictured below.

That stamps definitely set the tone for this entire project! You can view all about it in the video.

But here are the final project pictures if you want a quicker view.

Bouquet Embellishments

So this idea got stuck in my head when I was playing with my new die cutting machine. It just took me a little while to find the time to get to it. But once I was in the process it didn’t take a huge amount of time at that point since the new die cutter has a much larger cutting area than my old one!

That wraps up another blog post. Until next time, have an artful day!

PRODUCTS USED^^

^^ Disclaimer: I offer affiliate shopping linked products when possible. This shopping won’t cost you anything extra, but I get a small kick back from the companies for sending business their way. It is an easy way to tell me “Thank You” for the content I provide.

CKC April Challenges

The two layout challenges for April have already been revealed over at Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. As the hostess for the month I was inspired by several things in our inspiration kit (see kit reveal post!). With the challenges I wanted them to be broad enough to work for many people. So for challenge one, I took inspiration from the florals to get you to use a nature element on your layout. For challenge two I was inspired by the birthday theme to offer up a celebration layout challenge (birthday or not!).

Let’s take a look at how I approached those challenges

Challenge One

My nature was plentiful. From florals, to clouds & stars, and even one sweet little bee, I packed in as much nature as I had in my kit.

Challenge Two

For the second project I wanted to remind you that celebrations go beyond the “milestone” moments. We can celebrate little life accomplishments as they come along. Here I was celebrating my daughter making it onto the front page of our local poetry meet up’s website. She was excited to be featured in their blog post for that week.

I do have videos up for each of these layouts, if you enjoy watching process videos.

I hope you can check out the other designers takes on these challenge! Don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge. We love to see your work!

Until next time, have an artful day.

PRODUCTS USED^^

^^ Disclaimer: I offer affiliate shopping linked products when possible. This shopping won’t cost you anything extra, but I get a small kick back from the companies for sending business their way. It is an easy way to tell me “Thank You” for the content I provide. I appreciate you using my links!

CKC Kit Build, April ’23

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

Our Guest Designer

Let’s welcome our guest designer before we dive in…. Kathy Leicht-Gregg! Kathy is a friend of several of us team members over at CKC and she has been lurking in our group for a long time. I finally encouraged her to join in and be our guest designer. Her layouts are lovely but she often works choosing very specific colors for each project, so she wasn’t sure she could work from a kit this way. I thank her for taking a step outside her comfort zone!

The Kit

Now we can get to the pretty stuff. To start, I am the kit inspiration hostess this month around. I wanted to pick something a bit different than a typical kit so I chose the SCT Sampler Kit from April 2022. These kits from the Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine, are pint sized collections that pack in a nice sampling of products. And if you’ve spent time here or on my YouTube channel you know I love my SCT Sampler Kits.

The fun thing is you still get a wide variety of ideas, with two different themes to choose from! You can pick and choose one idea or the other, or combine them for one bigger kit. Don’t let the small paper sizes fool you—you can always take your kit to the paper size you need! This kit also has a few fun goodies for forgeries as well. I hope you enjoy this twist on our typical monthly kit idea.

Kit Reveal over on the SCT site is really just a blog post with some project ideas. You’ll need to scroll to the bottom of this SCT blog post to see the actual kit. But that photo is above, so this link is really just for your reference!

Kit Contents

  1. Floral stamp from LDRS Creative (exclusive)
  2. “Celebrate” word & shadow die from SCT Magazine (exclusive)
  3. Birthday Girl Collection by Echo Park: 
    • papers
    • ephemera
  1. Violet Studio Florals Collection by Crafters Companion
    • papers
    • mini tag sentiments
    • mini bows

More Product Views

I was inspired by the florals in the kit, which is unusual for me! Plus, the little bows and the small sentiment tags were elements I knew I wanted to use. I recently purchased a floral collection from LDRS Creative called Lovely Watercolor. You can find it at Scrapbook.com^^ if you are interested in this collection pack. I knew that would be the foundation of my kit right away. I added in just a quick couple of extra papers that caught my eye. And then I grabbed my spring theme file and pulled embellishments from that—some print& cut pieces from Traci Reed (though I don’t see them on her sight anymore) and some puffy stickers. With the addition of a floral die set (instead of the floral stamp in the inspiration), some fibers and a way to DIY my own little tags, my kit was complete.

There is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. So I’m calling mine
Spring in My Step.

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video.

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits.

Here’s the full hop link list

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

Until next time, have an artful day.

PRODUCTS USED^^

^^ Disclaimer: I offer affiliate shopping linked products when possible. This shopping won’t cost you anything extra, but I get a small kick back from the companies for sending business their way. It is an easy way to tell me “Thank You” for the content I provide. I appreciate you using my links!

Mystery Box Monday

Hello, hello! I am excited to bring back my Mystery box Monday series. I did this series back in 2020 and since it did not get a lot of views back then I had retired it. But I missed it! This project was just some weird creative fun and I am happy to be back to it.

So, what is Mystery Box Monday? I have a “grab-bag” style box of supplies that I purchased from Piece Craft Love as part of a clearance sale back in Dec ’22. Since the box is a grab-bag, that means all the supplies in the box are a mystery. Who doesn’t like a good mystery? The box comes at a steep price reduction because the supplies are unknown. Does that make the box worth it? We will find out!

I’m going to reach into this box and pull out three items. Much like that cooking show with the mystery basket ingredients, I have to put those items to use on one crafty project. Will these ingredients work together? Or will it be a recipe for disaster? Let’s find out…

Here is a peek at the mystery items I pulled out of the box this time around: A metal stencil doodling set, a zoo themed chipboard set from Graphic 45, and Echo Park travel themed rosettes.

Several thoughts ran through my mind as I looked at these.

  • Travel + zoo themes? Hmm.
  • Graphic 45 is not my go-to.
  • Cool metal stencils. Those are easy to use. Maybe I could to embossed impressions with them?
  • Can I remove the chipboard pieces from the rosettes? That would mostly eliminate the travel theme?

That final thought is where I started my project. If I could just have simple rosettes then they would become more flexible in style usage. Once that was done, they reminded me of flowers which goes with the butterfly stencil. The buttons on the Graphic 45 Chipboard could be used to give new centers to the rosettes to take them off in their own direction.

Okay. Flowers and butterflies. Now what? My train of thought led down a path that landed on making a batch of Easter cards for a senior meal program that I made cards for last year. Now is a good time to get started. So off I went with the supplies.

I ended up using spray mist through the petal-like stencil to give my rosettes more of a floral foundation; though in the end much of the imagery was covered up! Still I think that background foundation gave these cards more interest. Now using more than just a couple tiny pieces from the chipboard felt more honest to the spirit of this Mystery Box Monday challenge, so I popped up my easter greeting on chipboard tags. I used tags with florals. I also used a tag with animal strip print. But by covering up much of the tag, the prink now looks more like woodgrain (the light blue card on the left). That was a good use of the zoo theme!

If you want to catch all the silly fun behind this project, check out the video!

So that is it this time around. I hope you join me for future Mystery Box Monday goodness. Until next time, I hope you have an artful day.