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.

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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

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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

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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 goodies๐Ÿ˜‰ ).

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. Donโ€™t let the small paper sizes fool youโ€”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. โ€œCelebrateโ€ 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 thatโ€”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.

Hereโ€™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.

Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), March ’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 called Time to Thrive digital and printable kit by Traci Reed.

Did you notice the accordion folded hearts tucked through the kit? You can click to enlarge the image and play Where’s Waldo to find them. ๐Ÿ˜ Well, that is where I got my first idea. It took a bit of trial and error to figure out how to recreate these digital goodies in physical form. But I got it and I think they are really fun.

A brief rundown on the sizing of these is represented in this screenshot.

  • Cut rectangle of paper 4 inches long by 2 inches heigh.
  • Score it at every 1/4 inch. The final length may be off depending on how precise your scoring is. Trim down to 1/4 inch if necessary
  • Fold in half with “wrong” side of paper facing out.
  • Draw an arc at the top of the folded paper as pictured.
  • Cut along the arc.
  • Open, fold accordion style on all the score marks.
  • Pinch and glue bottom of paper folds together to form heart.

The second bit of creation involved more experimentation. I have this set of dies from Tim Holtz that creates labels. The difference with these is that they can be inked for a letterpressed cut and embossed label. I played with this just once before sitting down to really see if I could get nice results. The end results were not as crisp as I wanted but that doesn’t surprise me too much since Tim Holtz is the distress king. They are “fine” and I’ll probably keep using the dies, but I did have higher hopes for this product. Ah well. At any rate, here is how they turned out.

You can see how I went about creating my forgeries in this video if you want more details.

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.

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, March ’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 goodies๐Ÿ˜‰ ).

Team member Anna is our hostess this month and we’ll see the kit she chose to inspire us in a moment. But first Let’s welcome our guest designer before we dive in… Amanda Castle, known as A Joyful Scrapper on YouTube. Pop over to her channel and leave her some love on her kit reveal post!

Now we can get to the pretty stuff. To start, here is our inspiration kit. It is called Time to Thrive digital and printable kit by Traci Reed. Anna loves Traci Reed and wanted something that could lean her into a green color palette for March.

Though I love Traci Reed, I don’t own this kit, so a true counterfeit is in order! I was inspired by many of the patterns, the numbered circles and a general mental wellness vibe.

I played quite closely with the prints in the kit, coming up with things as close as I had in my stash and making a few minor interpretations. I did skip many of the pinks since I’m needing a little break from pink.

For embellishments, I went with hearts, butterflies, chipbaord, labels lots of alphas.

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 Mindful for the nod to the original self-care kit theme and the way that I follow some self care in my own life right now.

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.

Hereโ€™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!

Until next time, have an artful day.

February Wrap Up

Wow, February just got away from me. I’m hoping to do better for March. Yet as I woke up today I realized it IS March 1st. Oh boy. So I need to bring February to and end before I move on to March.

My last post was back for CKC’s first layout challenge for Feb. 12th. I love that layout very much, so if you missed it, go check it out.

As for the rest of March, my schedule was fairly typical. Let’s walk through it.

I created a shiny mixed media layout for the Mix It Up Monday hop. Process video available.

I played with embossing powder for a technique share. One of the viewer favorite idea was embossing with water. Yes, water! That is the first technique of the video if you want to check it out.

The second challenge for CKC was to use an envelope to hide journaling. I got that on there in the upper right corner and my journaling pulls out with a chipboard arrow “tab”. I also used the leftover heart from challenge number one!

For this next one I unboxed my SCT Sampler kit and was inspired by the product to create a then-and-now themed layout all about music.

Next up I was over on the ScrapHappy.org blog along with my creative team discussing cascade design. A simple twistโ€”literallyโ€”on this concept is to turn the paper 90 degrees for a windswept look instead. And if you like watercoloring, this video has you covered.

Finally I was in on the Mixed Media Mayhem Hop that now overlaps with the Iron Crafter Challenge hop. The first was a recipe: inky background, no pattern paper and stamping. The latter was to use dimensional drops like Nuvo. And boy did I take on these challenges. This one is a bit busy, but sometimes the process of play is as important as the final product.

So that wraps up February. I’m hoping to be a bit more up to date for March. (Best laid plans, right?) However, you can start off with checking out my scrapbook kit build for March coming up next!

Have an artful day!

CKC Challenge #1, Feb ’23

It is challenge time over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. Our hostess for the month, Cindy, gave us a nod to Valentines day with a simple challenge. We are going to “put a heart on it”! So easy and it doesn’t even have to have anything to do with Valentines day if that isn’t your jam.

If we are going to put a heart on it, then I am going to put a HEART on it! I went big with this one inspired by being bold with my heart and also about the design concept of white space that my ScrapHappy team has been discussing over on the bog. It is nice when I can get two ideas in one layout!

I was also playing with washi tape, which I haven’t done in a while, so that felt good. And I created some fun interactive tags. They are tied on to flip over and find more photos on the back. I’m super happy with how this one came out.

If you want to hear more of my thinking behind layout decisions, check out 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!

Freebie Friday, Feb ’23

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) for your electronic die cut machines. Here is some further exciting news… new for 2023 are PRINTABLES.!! You can print them at home, cut them apart and use them to embellish your projects. This month I was inspired by the New Year holiday and the Pantone color of the year. You can see all the details in my reveal video, or read on for the short version.

You can check out the full video reveal release plus a project below. Or keep reading for just the pics!

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Sketch

Here is a closer look at the sketch. I created a layout with this sketch in mind and gave it a few tweaks to fit more photos.

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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 photo frames for in in the 4×6 and 3×4 size. They are simple but coordinate nicely with the printables below.

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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 as well.

If you need any tips on cutting this apart my original post talks a little about those plans to simplify how much cutting you need to do. Any tips beyond that will be in the current video reveal!

This time around I have pattern paper to go along with the embellishments. The paper comes in the horizontal and vertical orientations to make it more flexible for your crafting. I do have new tutorials up on my YouTube channel on how to use the embellishment .png file in electronic die cutting software so that you don’t have to fussy cut. You can find the Cricut tutorial or the Silhouette tutorial. Since those are the only machines I know how to use I can’t offer help with other brands. But many machines have options if you search on YouTube.

Download…

  • Sketch: printable pdf version here,
  • Sketch: Photoshop version here
  • Cut File: svg version here
  • Cut File: for Silhouette here
  • Printable bundle is 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 I’d love to hear them. I can’t make promises but I can take suggestions!

Until next time, have an artful day.