Freckled Fawn Kit Unboxing, February ’24

I’m back with my Freckled Fawn Kit subscription for this month. I’ll show off what I’m getting in my kit and create a project with it. As I am newer to these kits, I’ll share my pros and cons with you as I go. With that, let’s dive into this months kit.

Unfortunately I forgot to take my posed kit photo before diving in, so instead I grabbed this screen shot from my reveal video.

I was happy to see that the washi selection was a role of tape this time instead of washi sheets. I like both and will be happy to see the variety of options included moving forward with my subscription. Likewise, the chipboard stickers and cardstock label stickers had some differences to them this month than last month. I was worried I’d get bored with the same supplies over and over, but so far there is a tad of variety in the shapes to keep it interesting. Plus, the small alpha stickers this month have gold foiled letters and that was a lovely surprise. As I just touched on reviewing the kit when I got the release email, I didn’t notice that detail.

Now, for a bit of a con. When I did get the release email I was able, as a subscriber, to add on extras for no extra shipping fee. I did choose to get a second set of the floral ephemera since I imagine creating an entire wreath with these beauties. However, the second set didn’t make it into my package. I contacted them the same day I opened my kit and I have yet to hear back. I will give it just a bit more of time and try again. I’ll let you know what happens.

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 made a 12×12 layout based on a sketch from a sketch class I am taking.

I am still struggling with some lighting issues in my space after one of my light fixtures went kaput. So this is not the most flattering photo, but you can still see all the pretty colors, textures and patterns included in the kit.

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.

Freckled Fawn^^
They sell products individually, or in subscription kits. The kit subscriptions are a build-your-own bundle style. You pick and choose which of their standard items you’d like shipped to you each month. They carry items from wood veneer all the way up to 12×12 scrapbook papers. Take a look and see if there are any goodies you wan to add to your craft room! And… if you use the code craftysoup you’ll get 15% off your order!

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 next time, 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!

LOAD Featured Designer

Hello all. Today I’m sharing the layout I created as part of the LOAD challenge. Each LOAD month, Alice asks for community members to volunteer their talents to share a layout based on day’s prompts. I received Day 13 as my task and it featured a prompt to tell a story about precision and to use an embellishment that requires precision.

After just a bit of thinking I had a story in mind. But what kind of embellishments require precision to use? That one took a little more thinking. When I spied a paper strip that had rows of colorful circles I realized that I could do a stacked die cut title in multiple colors. That would require a lot of precision to get all the letters aligned, stacked and glued in place!

Here is my story about how my eyes don’t precisely work together for clear vision. Instead I end up with doubled vision in certain situations. My title work mimics the physical problem in a way. If you want to see the full process video for this project, keep scrolling.

Okay, that wraps up a simple post for today. Until next time, have an artful day.

Double challenges!

It is the first challenge of the month over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. It also happens to land on the Mix It Up Monday (aka MIUM) challenge hop day. Luckily for me both challenges fit snuggly together, so I’m saving time and energy and combining the two!

The CKC challenge was to use TWO types of mixed media.
And as usual the MIUM challenge was to use a sketch and add in mixed media.

So you can obviously see how they fit together!

For reference here is our sketch from Rochelle Spears. I liked that it had three photos with an option for a fourth in that little polaroid frame. I went to my story binder, found a story with four photos and it was a story that would work well with my CKC kit colors and textures.

I told this story of creating decorations for a school trunk-or-treat even. My daughter and I designed our trunk based on the Little Shop of Horrors musical (specifically the movie from the 80’s as that is my era!). As the movie is set in the inner city the brick paper felt like a perfect base for the photos. I did change out the banners for tags. My mixed media was acrylic paint (green pluses) and spray mist. Both were chosen for their messy textural nods to all the materials that went into building our Audrey II monster.

If you want to hear more of my thinking behind layout decisions, check out the video.

I hope you can check out both the CKC team’s take on the blog, and follow along with the MIUM hoppers listed below.

MIUM YouTube hoppers
** Kristen from @scrappingonthefly1217
** Christine from https://youtu.be/ea9o0yvxCLI
** Tara from @thepapersnob
** Karen from @alittlekinder
** Mel from https://youtube.com/@MelWScrapping
** Briana from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKzjIl4GZHauK29x8EvFCUw
** Lynda from https://www.youtube.com/@thescrapbookingphotographe3607
** Shannon B from https://www.youtube.com/@scrappingwithShannon
** Cheryl from https://www.youtube.com/@WatchCherylScrap/
** Misty {{{ YOU ARE HERE

MIUM Instagram hoppers:
** Brandi Jo https://instagram.com/scrappy.boymama
** Tina https://instagram.com/tinamcmmvr
** Simera https://instagram.com/scrappysimi/
** Laurie https://www.instagram.com/scrapbookingbits
** DawnLyn https://www.instagram.com/dawnlynsdesigns/

Until next time, have an artful day.

Mystery Box Monday, Feb ’24

Hello, hello! I am excited continue to share this series into 2024. I did this series back in 2020 and revived it in 2023. The box of supplies I bought at that point has continued to serve me for this series! I never guessed how packed this box would be when I purchased it.

So, what is Mystery Box Monday? It is just a silly game and creativity stretcher! I have a “grab-bag” style box of supplies that I purchased online 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. The box comes at a steep price reduction because the supplies are unknown. Who doesn’t like a good deal and a fun mystery?

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. I must say my heart sank a bit when I got two chipboard pieces. And that lantern piece is so big. What to do, what to do…?

Honestly I had wanted to do a tag or embellishment project this time, but these pieces were just to big for that. I gave those items a think for a moment and then the Loving You chipboard piece obviously became a tie in to the upcoming Valentine’s Day. I didn’t want to do a scrapbook page but that lamp post is so dang big. The solution? A slimline card!

I did boost the complexity and interest level of this one by making it a tri-fold peek-a-boo slimline card and using lots of mixed media. The mixed media nearly destroyed me! It just got worse and worse until I was able to pull it all together. You can hear my challenges in the video below!

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.

Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), Feb ’24

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.

This month our inspiration was chosen by Brandi Jo who has boys in her life to scrapbook. So, she avoids all the typical “girly” papers. Thus we are being inspired by a fall color pallet of blues and oranges. This kit is November Rain by Not Just For Boys Kit Club.

I found the bold diagonal stripe paper in the top center, and the blueprint style paper in the top left to be pieces that I did not have in my stash. So that is where I focused my forgery attention. (I wish I could have forged the blue brick but I could not figure out a way to make that happen!)

Here is how that stripe paper turned out. I am rather pleased with it. The trick with a diagonal stripe has to do with math. The diagonal of a square is always longer than the sides. In the case of 12×12 pattern paper, that diagonal is almost 17 inches (if I did my math right 😁). That means you either have to cut a whole new paper right on that diagonal or piece together shorter pieces to reach across the span. In my case I used both.

For my second forgery, I did not have any type of mechanical stamps or stencils to recreate that paper. So instead of trying to make an exact duplicate, I went with the vibe of the paper. I used industrial looking imagery to pull this one together. It is all stenciling so it came together rather quickly.

If you want more details on how I pulled these together, especially tricks to get those diagonal stripes to work well, you can check out the 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, February ’24

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😉 ).

As we dive into our inspiration for February, let’s welcome Jessica Mikels as our guest designer for the month. You can connect with her via her Blog, Instagram account, and YouTube channel. I hear she is a mixed media goddess, so if you are like me and go for that style, do check her out.

Now we can get to the pretty stuff. To start, here is our inspiration kit. It is November Rain kit by Not Just For Boys Kit Club. Our CKC team member hosting this kit is Brandi Jo. Since she has boys to scrap she wants kits that shy away from pinks, flowers and butterflies. This kit fits the bill.

This kit was outside my comfort zone. I actually liked that! It meant that it was a challenge, and I enjoy a good challenge/puzzle. Oranges and browns are not my go-to colors, especially here in the midst of winter. I knew I needed to lighten and brighten this kit if it was going to work for me.

I did this in several ways. First, I chose a Traci Reed digital collection that features a cozy, homey vibe in a richer color palette, including oranges. It is called Hygge Season and has an add-on that includes specific winter icons. While I was browsing my TR supplies, I landed on the Tempest collection (a freebie on her site– follow instructions to get all three parts of the freebie). This one has a bit of color overlap with the inspo kit by having coraly-orange, tealy-green, navy, plus some pink. The takes on the colors in this collection definitely brighten things up.

I also chose wood grain that included whites, a bit of pink and lighter versions of orange. You can see in the photo below how everything pulled together.

I have lots of die cuts (too many really to use in one month!), a bit of cork inspired by one of the brown kit papers, as well as stencils and navy spray in my embellishments. I pulled several alphas in browns and tans and one navy. They all have most of the vowels used up so hopefully I can get some titles out of these. That is why I pulled so many! Check it out.

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.

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

Yin Yang

This title won’t make sense unless you hear me in the video talk about some of the embellments featuring homey vibes while some feature bad-day vibes. If you want more details on all that and more, 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

Counterfeit Kit Challenge – http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/
Guest Designer Jessica – www.craftydoings.com
Tara – https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com/
Christine – https://www.youtube.com/@ScrappingHarden
Tina – http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/
Misty – https://craftysoup.com
Julene – http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com
Brandi – www.instagram.com/scrappy.boymama

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!

January Wrap Up

I have been struggling to keep up with life these days. Have you ever been there? Well, in an effort to stay active here I’m going to wrap up January in a bit of a gallery style, so let’s dive in.

CKC Challenge #1: Tell about a cozy adventure.

Video

I went back to 2018 or 2019 for this story of exploring a new-to-me town while my daughter was at an event. Despite the rain, it was a lovely adventure.

This is from my ongoing Mystery Box Monday series. I have a grab bag of supplies that I ordered. “Grab bag” means I have no idea what is in the box! I reach in without looking (a challenge!), pull out three items, and put them to use on a project. This is just a fun and creativity stretching exercise. Are the projects always great? Nope. Do I learn something each time? Yep.

Video

CKC Challenge #2: Tell a story of a special moment.

We happened to have this owl visit our yard one day for several hours. My whole family was in awe and we spent a good amount of time just staring at this guy.

Video

Iron Crafter Challenge: Use Stamping

Iron Crafter is all about putting underutilized supplies to use. I wouldn’t say my stamps are under used, but one thing I don’t do much is stamp my titles. So along with other stamping, I also stamped part of my title.

Video

CKC#3: Use a sketch.

The CKC group has added two extra challenges to our array of inspiration each month. Sketches are one such addition. If you want to see the sketch and how I worked it to this layout, check out the video.

Video

New for 2024: Freckled Fawn Kit unboxing + project

Since my SCT Sampler kits were discontinued, I went on a quest to find a new kit subscription. I landed on Freckled Fawn! Here is my first project from my January kit. The video shows the entire unboxing, thoughts on why I chose Freckled Fawn and the project creation.

Video

Mixed Media Mayhem

I love the Mixed Media Mayhem group, but as I am struggling with time in my days, this is the one YouTube project that I may need to drop from my calendar. I’m still thinking this over. At any rate, I was really happy with how this one turned out.

Video

CKC Challenge #4: Use your scraps

At the end of each month, CKC is now offering the “use your scraps” challenge. While I have a go-to list of using up scraps, I’m not sure I have 12 ideas–one of each month of 2024. I will be learning along the way with everyone! As my ideas run out, I may skip doing videos on this project as well. Again, decisions need to be made!

Video

So, that wraps up my January. If you have any questions or comments, just drop me a note and I’d be happy to get back to you.

Until next time, have an artful day.

Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), Jan ’24

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 [fill in blank here].

Did you notice the die cut ephemera pack in the bottom center of that kit? Well that is where I got my idea. I chose some of the homey icons included in that set and added in some woodland critters that matched my theme from my kit build. With a bunch of stamping, punching, die cutting and even some diy tag creation, I made a full set of ephemera.

This project is great for a spending freeze or supply ~~hoarders~~ collectors like me. It is even great for those who just run out of favorite pieces in store bough collections. Whey you diy, you can always make more of those favorites.

Until next time, have an artful day.

PRODUCTS USED^^

Small inking tool:
— From Scrapbook.com: https://shrsl.com/4d97p
— From ScrapbookPal.com: https://shrsl.com/4d97q
— From Acherryontop.com: https://shrsl.com/4d97s

Concord & 9th Inks:
— From Scrapbook.com: https://shrsl.com/4d98n

^^ 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, January ’24

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😉 ).

Welcome to the new year. There are just a couple of changes happening over at CKC that I want to tell you about. First, we’ll be including extra inspiration for you every month! Second, our team has had a few people need to step away and we need a few newbies to take their place. We have a design team call open and if you’re interested, we are a relaxed crew of scrappers who just like to share ideas and inspiration.

With the business out of the way we can start the new year of inspiration with a scrapbook kit build! I do want to take a moment to welcome our guest designer right away. Kristen, aka Scrapping on the Fly on both YouTube and Instagram, is joining us this month. Kristen shared this little info about herself

“Hello! My name is Kristen, I am the proud mom of two, mostly, grown kiddos and a lover of all things scrapbooking! Making the memories to scrapbook, buying the collections and crafty tools, organizing all the fun stash and, of course, using all the different craft things to make a layout! I started my fist official scrapbook in 1996 and have been creating ever since! “

Give Kristen a big welcome on her socials or over on our Facebook group! Now we can get to the pretty paper. To start, here is our inspiration kit. It is the very recent December 2023 kit from Hip Kit Club. Take a look at what we have to inspire us.

I was inspired by a few things in this kit. The tree trunk paper with the birds was a starting point for me. I knew I wanted something nature leaning. The next stop in my thinking was plenty of plaids based just on one single print. I also wanted to include some snowflakes without getting too wintery. I did like a lot of the wintery branches and foliage so that got added to the kit as well. With those icons included, I next turned to the color inspiration. I used a palette of light & dark blues, yellow, and pops of red and green.

So these are the papers I came up with. Notice the left side is plaid heavy. That just felt so cozy to me for the season.

For the embellishments I leaned heavily into cozy and homey icons, as well as the woodland critters. Since one of my papers had a bit of gold I also added that into my embellishments. What I forgot to make sure was in my picture was a sticker book from Simple Stories that has homey icons I want to use. It also include some alpha stickers. Which, leads me into the second thing I didn’t photograph — the plain black foam that I’ll be die cutting with an alpha die set for my titling.

Don’t forget that each month I also create my own elements to add into my kit. I have much of that done but don’t have the photos edited just yet. You can join me on the 4th for the full reveal of those items.

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

Comfy & Cozy Are We

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video. [[Coming soon!]]

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

Counterfeit Kit Challenge – http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/
Guest Designer Kristen – https://www.instagram.com/scrappingonthefly/
Tara – https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com/
Christine – https://www.youtube.com/@ScrappingHarden
Tina – http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/
Misty – https://craftysoup.com/
Laurie – https://www.instagram.com/scrapbookingbits/

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!

Freebie Friday, Dec 2023

I’ve been trying to offer freebies to you every month from sketches to cut files to printable papers & embellishments. Well… my energy fell away over the summer and I have not been able to get anything new out. However, I am here to release a couple of items for the Christmas season.

Sketch

First up I have a lovely holiday sketch for you

This one definitely takes the holiday seriously. However, if you don’t celebrate Christmas, OR if you want more flexibility for this sketch, turn it sideways! Once it is sideways it looks like an arrow which can be used for many stories. Take a look at the two ways I put it to use.