Category: Videos

What is hybrid scrapbooking?

For 2022 I’m starting on a once a month adventure of incorporating more hybrid scrapbooking into my memory keeping. So what exactly is hybrid scrapbooking? It is the process of using digital scrapbooking supplies to turn them into physical items and then using them to complete a physical layout. If you do a photo collage in an app and then print and use that photo collage as in on a layout, technically you are hybrid scrapbooking. Even using a cut file on your electronic die cutting machine could be considered hybrid as well. My intentions are to use the collection of digital scrapbook kits that I have purchased over the years. I have a backlog of these files because I thought I would turn into a mainly digital scrapbooker at some point. However, the need to use physical items matters so much to my experience of creating art that I can’t go fully digi. However, I can get some of the benefits of digi and use them in my physical layouts.

I’ll start you off with the layout process video I created this month.

In the video I mention the benefits of hybrid as I create. Here I can just easily list them.

  1. You don’t have to have lots of space to store a ton of supplies! You just need a stack of paper and a printer to turn the digi items into physical items. (An electronic die cutter is super helpful, but I’ll cover that in a bit.)
  2. You can use only the pieces of an embellishment pack that you actually like. No leftover unwanted bits.
  3. You can resize items to a smaller size if you like (going larger usually doesn’t work well due to the pixel nature of digital graphics.)
  4. You can duplicate and create as many of the same element that you love.
  5. If you mess up an item, you can always print a new one!

While there are real good things about using digital elements, there are some cons as well.

  1. If you are a 12×12 scrapper, an investment in a 12×12 printer OR the flexibility to design 12×12 layouts using 8.5×11 papers is critical.
  2. It takes more time to select and then print your products as opposed to just pulling out some items and getting to work.
  3. If you want to create embellishments, an electronic die cutter is going to be a life saver. Otherwise you are going to become the fussy cutting champ of all time. A machine is yet another money, time and tech know-how investment.

I’m hear to help with that last point! I have a tutorial for you on one way to use your Cricut machine to take some digital scrapbook die cuts and create physical die cuts.

And here is a look at the final result.

What do you think? Can you tell that I printed most of these products myself?

Let me know what you think about hybrid scrapping!

Forgery Time

Each month on the 4th, Counterfeit Kit Challenges hosts a product forgery challenge. We select an item from the inspiration kit and create our own version. As a reminder our kit is On the Go and Going Slow by Traci Reed. Now in this version of the kit you can’t easily see the item I want to forge. So let’s take a closer look.

Here are just the pattern papers. The ninth paper from the left is the one I’m looking at. It is the multicolor scallop & dashed lines stripe print.

So I grabbed an old stamp set that has a short scallop border, a ruler, a black pen and some inks and I got to work.

Here was the final result.

I do go over in the video how to make your own scallop stamp if you don’t have a scallop border. So be sure to check out the video for that tip.

I’ll be back on the 12th and again on the 18th with the CKC layout challenges.

Forgeries for November 2021

I’m at it again with my DIY embellishments. I was so inspired by the kit this month that I had to make myself narrow it down to just two forgeries. So let’s take a look at the kit again first.

From this kit I decided to forge those number & icon circle chipboard pieces. I chose that one specifically because I like to number photos along with the corresponding journaling. That way photos can have their own say as part of an overall story.

I also decided to forge the phrase stickers. I like to add little words strips to areas of my layout as a sprinkling of a finishing touch. I used a Concord & 9th sentiment stamp and die set to accomplish this task.

A full look of my process is up on my YouTube channel.

But the short version is here as well.

I used four ink colors to do all the stamping across all the forgeries. This lends itself to plenty of color choice for layouts as well as just lots of elements to use in general. Here I stamped (with an old stamp set) and then used a circle punch to get these number disks. I only completed a few of the finished chipboard pieces and I cam complete any others I need along the way.

The word strips took longer to create since these very solid stamps can be a bit fuzzy to get crisp images from. But perseverance paid off and I got some good results in the end. While these words are larger than typical sticker sheet phrases, I can make them work on plenty of layouts.

Be sure to check out the other forgeries the design team is up to this month over on the blog.

Layout Process with a twist!

Today I put my CKC kit to use for a LOAD layout. What is LOAD you ask? Well, that is the LayOut A Day challenge hosted over at ScrapHappy. We get fun prompts to play along with if we choose as we create our layouts each day. Today I managed to get the prompts in (mostly) by telling a story with a plot twist and including a twist of lemon.

For the entire process you can watch the video.

CKC challenge #1 for October

It is the first layout challenge of the month over at CKC. And this time there is a twist to our challenge. We should pick a title from the list below and create a layout centered around that title!

  • Let’s Go
  • Destination Unknown
  • The Journey is the Destination
  • Life isn’t always Rainbows and Unicorns
  • Spring has Sprung
  • You Colour My World
  • You’ve Come so Far
  • Perfectly Imperfect
  • Ordinary Moments

Since most of my photos and stories are from candid snapshots, I chose the title Ordinary Moments and I found the perfect photos to go with the story! If you want to see the full layout process, check out the video below. Otherwise, as usual, I’ll have the photo tour for you if you scroll down.

Remember you can click on gallery photos to enlarge. I hope you head over to the CKC blog to check out all the other Master Forgers’ takes on this challenge. And if you want to play along, go ahead and join the CKC Facebook group and share your projects.

Freebie Friday, Oct ’21

Now that it is October, I’m finally feeling a bit of that fall vibe. So, I turned to the iconic pumpkin for the cut file this month. Using plaid for the sketch emanates a feeling of warmth and comfort. So that was my thinking for the designs this month.

Download the cut file directly as well as the pdf or photoshop version of the sketch. And if you want to see my other freebies, head to the Freebies section of my site.

I put them to use in a project as well. Check out the video…

As you may see from the video graphic, I combined the cut file and the sketch to come up with this layout.

Happy Fall/Autumn to my northern hemisphere readers (and happy spring to you southern hemisphere friends).

SCT Sampler Kit, Sep ’21

I love getting goodies in the mail! And at an affordable price point (as low as $14 per month including shipping), the SCT Sampler Kit brings me just that. I get a sample of goodies to play with and it won’t break the bank or accumulate dust in my craft space like many other kits have in the past.

This month’s goodies look like this…

And if you want a more detailed look you can check out my unboxing video.

And a quick peek at the project…

At the end of the video I talk about how this card project is going to influence a layout project I’ll be posting in a couple of days. I hope you stick around for that as well!

Learn More about the SCT sampler kit: https://scrapbookandcards.com/sct-sampler/


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 have no affiliation with SCT. I simply use and enjoy these kits and wish to share.

CKC challenge #1, Sep ’21

It is the first challenge of the month over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge! This time our kit hostess set us a challenge inspired by the tractors used in many fall festivals. No you don’t need to include a tractor; you can be inspired by the idea of transportation! I took it in a very metaphorical level and talked about my daughter being ready to fly off to college (no she isn’t flying, she’ll be driving since campus is about 2 hours a way!)

Mini Kit + Pocket Page Ideas

Hello everyone. I’m here with the Counterfeit Kit Club’s Mini Kit and project for the month of September 2020. You can quickly see my whole process in the video below or keep reading for the text and photo version.

Our inspiration kit (Vivid by {Not} Just for Boys kit club) shown below had a strong fall theme vibe.

When I was pondering this project I was in the process of cleaning my scrap space. While doing that I came across this bin that contained the extra photos, paper scraps and previous fall themed layout I had created a couple of month back.

Admittedly this gave me a huge head start on creating a page kit for this month’s mini. If you think I cheated, I promise all you would need to do to get to this same point is choose a base pattern paper or cardstock, plus 3-4 pattern paper scraps in various sizes. Then grab 6-10 embellishment pieces in various sizes to support your theme and you are done. Simple as that. Really.

Here I chose a base woodgrain paper, 5 pattern paper scraps, 1 cardstock and literally 12 individual embellishment pieces. The woodgrain, plaid and use of blue comes from our inspiration piece. The other imagery I chose to support my page theme (cameras + together/cozy)

Once I had a narrow palette of supplies to work with, my layout came together quickly. I think about this style of layout as a “pocket page” layout without the actual pockets. (You could also just call it a grid layout). I love the idea of pocket pages for ease but I feel too constrained by the pocket numbers and orientations. So I started my layout with the base page + photos. I trimmed my photos, and in fact all the pocket elements, down by 1/4″ in both height and width to give that gap that pockets have.

The open areas around the photos now become other “pockets.” The top right was very large and could have been broken down into several pockets, but I left it large for more visual impact to those cameras since this layout is about selfies. The journal pocket on the bottom left is 6×4″ (or rather 5.75×3.75″ once trimmed down.) The gray strip started at 2×4″ before trimming and the lower plaid is 2×8″ before trimming.

Sprucing up each pocket with limited embellishments helps the whole page feel cohesive. I also repeat elements, such as circles, blue, and plaid, in a visual triangle to pull everything together. Approaching a layout this way is super straightforward. It gives you the ease of pocket pages without the constraints. And with this design you could include way more photos than I did! Just so much flexibility here.

I hope you were inspired by how easy it can be to put together a quick page kit as well as a quick layout!

September CKC Kit

Welcome to September 2021 everyone. For me this year has flown by despite all the continuing troubles with covid. I thought for sure this would be another year that crawled by. Yet here we are. I hope you have all stayed safe and healthy. I send you extra wishes for continued health as we head back indoors with the chill of fall weather looming.

Lets get on to crafting, shall we? This month Master Forger Tina is our kit host and she has invited Tori Gaines as our guest designer!

Tina has offered up this kit called Vivid from the {Not} Just for Boys kit club from September 2020 as our inspiration this month. Of course it is sold out at this point so counterfeiting this kit is a great option to get the vibe you are going for.

This kit includes

“Vivid” Paper: 

  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Amy Tan-Late Afternoon “Make a Wish”
  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Amy Tan-Late Afternoon “Free Spirit”
  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Amy Tan-Late Afternoon “Warm & Cozy”
  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Heidi Swapp- Old School “Summerland”
  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Simple Stories-SN@P! Basics “Walnut/Cream Dot” 
  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Heidi Swapp- Old School “True Blue”
  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Elle & Viv- Oxidation “7” (single sided)
  • 1 piece 12×12 paper- Echo Park- Witches & Wiards “Letters”

“Vivid” Embellishments: 

  • Crete Paper “Magical Forest” Puffy Alpha Copper Foil Stickers-14 pieces
  • 1 NJFB 3″ x 4″ Exclusive “Vivid” Stamp Set- 13 stamps
  • 1 Amy Tan-“Late Afternoon” Ephemera Pack- 40 pieces
  • 1 Jar NJFB “Vivid” Pearl Mix
  • 3 Yards “Vivid” Trim (1 yard each of 3 colors)
  • 1 Pack of NJFB Exclusive Acrylic Embellishments and 3 Mini Tassels  
  • 24 “Vivid” Textured Buttons
  • 1 “Tree Slice” cardstock cut by Sophie Gallo  

For the whole process of my kit build you can check out the video I made for this month.

The first thing I noticed about the kit is the warm oranges and browns of the classic fall season imagery. Since these are not my favorite colors and I am just plain not ready for fall, I looked deeper at the kit for inspiration. The Heidi Swapp blue and yellow stripe/geometric paper caught my attention next. I know I have this paper in my stash… well at least I thought I did. When building my kit I just couldn’t find it. (I may have tucked it away in another project and since forgotten which project and where!) Despite not being able to find that paper I let the colors lead the way for me. And then I followed this inspiration kit’s path in terms of pattern. I found some plaids/checks, a bold floral, woodgrain and some watercolor textures. I then added a couple of supporting patterns to round out the choices.

Moving on to embellishments I was inspired by the leafy die cuts, ribbon texture, wood texture buttons, and the log cut file. I decided to pull wood and cork elements and add in plenty of floral die cuts. It worked out that some of my leafy ephemera also had gold, which was included in the alpha from the inspiration kit. I also found some floral acetate that can take the place of the acrylics in the inspiration kit. Toss in a few natural fibers and some alphas and that topped off my kit.

With this lighter, brighter take on this inspiration that clings to the remnants of summer, I’m calling this kit Last Hurrah.

Be sure to check out all the fun over at the Counterfeit Kit Club blog for challenges and inspiration to build and use your kit. Don’t forget to see the other design team members’ takes on this months inspiration. Be sure to leave extra love for Tori for being our guest designer this time around.