Category: Videos

CKC Kit Build, November ’22

Wowza. Another new month is here. This last part of the season has just whipped by and I don’t feel like I’ve given my previous kits enough love. Sigh. But time progresses and so do I. With that, lets move on to my new kit as part of the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. If you are new to CKC, 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😉 ).

Let’s welcome our guest designer Machelle Willing to the team for November. She’s been around the CKC block before so she will bring her experience to the team again this month.

Our inspiration kit this time around is the October Kit, Herbstzauber (NOTE: the kit has been removed from the company site so please check out their main site listed next…) offered by a German company called Scrapbook Werkstatt. This kit is centered around product by PinkFresh Studio, Maggie Holmes and Paige Evans, all of which I have used in the past. I had to dig in my stash to see what I may have still had on hand from these pieces vs what I’d need to replicate.

Before we get to my kit, let’s peek at most of the inspiration pieces.

For my build I started with the same PinkFresh paper line and it turns out that I had a partial sheet of the ticket style print to tuck in my kit. I added in a map print based on the inspiration. Next came a jumbo text print from Shimelle to take the place of the word print from PinkFresh. Then a bunch of decisions had to be made to get to the final paper selection (see the video below for all the details!)

Next up was embellishments. As last month was a jumbo embellishment month, I kept things calmer this time. I drew very heavily from the inspiration in pulling these bits together. Notice I’ve got blank wood buttons in my kit. I bet you know I’m going to dress those up somehow for the Forgery on the Fourth project at CKC. Just a little hint for you!

Okay. That is my kit. Now… there is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. I had a hard time finding the right name. I’m going to call this one Across the Seasons since I brought in more springy purples and green as well as richer autumnal yellows and blues.

If you want to see my thoughts behind my kit choices, 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.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries using those blank buttons. Until then, 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, October ’22

I know I never got September’s unboxing posted. Oh boy. But you can still catch that over on my YouTube channel! I’m just going to go ahead an move on with October…

Here is the kit this month! We’ve got our reusable supply (stamp set from LDRS), our word die and supplies from Carta Bella’s Welcome Fall collection** and Vicki Boutin’s Print Shop collection**.

I wouldn’t want to leave you wondering just what to do with these supplies. So I usually 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 made a layout about the rascally squirrels in my yard.

I incorporated several stamping techniques including watercolor stamping and a “hightlight” stamping technique. If you want more information on those (and more!) 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 as well as seeing it put into action with a project. I’ll be back soon with more crafty goodness. Until then, 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!

October CKC Challenge #2

It is challenge time over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. Our challenge this time is to “Go Big or Go Home”! So I am putting together my layout using a large photo frame. I created the frame as part of my design team work over at the Counterfeit Kit Blog for the Forgery on the Fourth project. (It’s at the bottom of the post so be patient and scroll down!) But here is a quick peek at the frame.

And here is how it made it onto my layout!

Here is the full process video if you’d like to see the layout come together.

I hope you can check out the other designers takes on this 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!

Freebie Friday, Oct ’22

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 psd) and an electronic cut file (in svg). This month I was inspired by an organizational project I was working on. I needed my own specifically sized file dividers and I turned to Illustrator to get what I needed. Plus, it can make fun layouts as well!. You can see all the details in my reveal video, or read on for the short version.

Here is a closer look at the sketch and the project I created based on this sketch.

If you are a cut file lover, I’ve got you covered! I’ve actually got two files for you, the frame on the left, and the file cards, folder and tabs on the right. The video talks about how to use the first file card to layer over the file folder if you want to layer it will different pattern papers.

The photo frame on the left was described as part of my design team work over at the Counterfeit Kit Blog. It’s at the bottom of the post so be patient and scroll down! Plus I used the finished frame in a recent YouTube video, so you can check it out there as well.

Download the…

  • Sketch pdf version here
  • Sketch psd version here
  • File Frames cut file here
  • File Cards & Folder cut file here

OR… head over to my Freebies Page to peruse the catalog of files I have offered in the past. And if you have any ideas for sketch or cut files, I’d love to hear your ideas. I can’t make promises but I can take suggestions!

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 Challenge #1, October ’22

It is challenge time over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. Our hostess for the month chose a sketch posted at ACherryOnTop.com**.

https://www.acherryontop.com/articles/Becky-Fleck-Sketch-Challenge-292-18805

The elements I’m picking up in this sketch are the photo and paper block. I’ll mix that up with some stamped “paper” that I create. I’ll pull in more circles inspired by the title block. Finally I’ll use some birthday photos inspired from the overall theme of the sketch.

Notice the blue hearts enclosed in doodled borders? That is my mixed media background that acts in place of a pattern paper layer from the sketch. I don’t have a lot of paper in my layout this time around, so this is one way I get more out of my kit. I also use fewer embellishments and let those die cut felt circles carry a lot of the energy of the layout.

If you’d like to know more, all the details are in the video!

I hope you can check out the other designers takes on this 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, October ’22

Wowza. Another new month is here. This last part of the season has just whipped by and I don’t feel like I’ve given my previous kits enough love. Sigh. But time progresses and so do I. With that, lets move on to my new kit as part of the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. If you are new to CKC, 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😉 ).

Let’s welcome our guest designer before we dive in….Nikki Ihus. Nikki and I know each other from various crafty circles, and she even was a part of my YouTube going through a growth spurt back in the early days. I’m excited to have her join the team this month!

Our inspiration kit this time around is the August Cherry Box** offered by A Cherry On Top Crafts** website. This kit is centered around product by 49th and Market that has a very neutral color palette, and vintage vibe with a nature feel. I’ll admit that the neutral color palette had me guessing for a while, but as you’ll see I figured out how my style would mesh with the inspiration kit!

Before we get to my kit, let’s peek at most of the inspiration pieces.

For my build I started with my own 49th and Market stash, which definitely has more color to it. But I picked out the papers with the most neutral overall look. I then added in papers from Simple Stories and others that had more color but kept a bit of a vintage vibe. And butterflies. There were lots and lots of butterflies.

I only chose 11 papers this time because my kits have been too big for my busy schedule lately. Also, October is a LOAD month (more on that here) which means I am creating a layout a day on a very wide variety of topics. I’ve found that in past LOAD months, my one CKC kit often only works for a couple of layouts. So I wanted to keep my kit small to allow more room for other creativity in my variety of story telling.

However, the small kit idea melted down after I started pulling embellishments. If you watch the video, you’ll see just how much of a madwoman I was! Well, through a long process I did narrow it down to still-a-rather-large pile. I think that means this months my layouts will be more along the lines of lots (and lots) of embellishing layers instead of paper layers.

Okay. That is my kit. Now… there is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. So I’m calling mine MAD HATTER both for my lack of rational control in pulling items and for the vintage styling that Alice in Wonderland often encompasses.

If you want to see my entire mad 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.

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

** 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!

Freebie Friday — Storage Box cutfiles!

I love learning, creating and sharing. That is why I offer freebies up to you each month. Usually I offer both a layout sketch and and cut file, however this time around I’m working on a bigger, specific project. I am reorganizing my ink pads and other color products into an up-cycled CD “bookcase”.

Eventually all the colors of ink pads will share shelves with these little organizers for other color products! Since I needed to create many of these organization boxes, I decided to create a cut file and share it with you. (Links to the files below.) The video has all the details on the cut file, but if you don’t own a cutting machine, read on for a manual version of this project.

For the Manual Version

You will need to cut and score your boxes following the guide below. White lines are cutting and blue lines are scoring. The squares are cut slightly smaller than the rectangle to allow for stacking and gluing them into the rectangle. They can also be glued to the ends of the rectangle, or to each other for an array of configuration options (see pics below).

The video has a few tips and tricks to assembling these boxes, but really it is pretty straight forward. Fold along all the score lines. The corners will form little flaps. Tucks those flaps into the box and glue down to the sides of the box. Make however many boxes you need!

Get the Cut Files

I do offer a raw svg file for these cuts. However… in order to use the files with both cutting and scoring properties on a machine, you’d need to do some file manipulation to the svg. I do cover those manipulations in the video. But, if you want to skip the manipulation steps, then use the links below to access the Cricut or Silhouette brand specific files. Sorry, I don’t have access to other machine options; you’ll have to use the svg file and figure out how to manipulate it in your software. The video tells you WHAT to do, just not HOW to do it on all software. All links are right here for your conveniences, or you can pop over to my Freebies Page to see what other goodies I offer.

That is it for this week. I’ll see you all next week. Until then, have an artful day!

CKC Challenge #2, Sep ’22

It is challenge time over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. We’ve been inspired by the Wildflower Collection by Traci Reed this month, which is largely what I used to build my kit! You can find the details for me kit build on my previous blog post.

Now let’s zoom in to one piece in particular. See those green sneakers near the center? And the blue ones at the bottom right? This collection has these fun shoe icons sprinkled in there. For that reason, our September hostess chose “lacing” as our second challenge!

Oh yeah! I knew right away what I wanted to do. I used the idea of lacing as a storytelling graphic on how these youth are keeping their connections tight while being in so many different physical places with college/adult life.

The lacing did take me a while, but it was well worth it in the end. As always, my process video has much more detail on how this layout came together, including how I repurposed a “failed” mixed media background from a previous project.

I hope you can check out the other designers takes on this 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!

Back to School Hop

The lovely Sara Scraps hosts a Back to School YouTube hop each September and opens it up to lots of crafty people. I was glad to be included in the hop. You can catch the video or read on for the condensed photo version!

This is how the layout finished up. I took a Then & Now approach since my daughter goes to an alternative school and hasn’t yet started back for this fall! As I was looking through photos to try and figure out an approach to the hop I realized I had plenty of school photos from the previous year. Since most of her classes for this year relate to last year I thought making notes of what is the same and what is different would be fun.

The little envelopes on the right hold more photos from last year and a journal tag that will have details on how things will be different this year. Plus the envelope flap looks like an arrow, so I added more arrow style embellishments to emphasize the title on the right for this new year.

I hope you enjoy the hop and gets lots of ideas on documenting the school experience. 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!

First CKC layout for September.

I busted out my Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit for the first time this month (okay, really for the first time that I can SHARE!). If you haven’t seen my kit build, here is the gist of it.

I put in a bunch of dies this time around. I have barely used those dies in the many years that I have owned them. Today is the day! That is one of the things I love about the CKC group. It gives me the time to pull out things that I haven’t put to enough use and really get my value out of them. Since they are journal card dies I knew I wanted to do a grid layout with them.

But I just did a grid layout! So… I am going to scraplift myself today. I don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time I create a page. There are enough different photos, sizes, and products, plus the layout will be filed in a different time frame, that the “sameness” won’t really be an issue. Here is a look at the original (on the left) and my new lift (on the right).

Here are a few more details photos for you.

If you want to see the whole thing in action, here is the video.

I’ll be back on Saturday with a Back to School blog hop hosted by Sara Scraps. Until then, 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!