Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), June ’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.

Each month I enjoy finding inspiration in our Counterfeit Kit. Some months ideas pop instantly. Sometimes I have to dig deeper. And, like this month, sometimes I have too many ideas for the time I have. I needed to pick and choose. Even limiting myself to three items kept me very, very busy. Let’s take a look at the inspo to see where I went. Our inspiration is the Intrinsic Limitless kit from Not Just for Boys. I did pull from some of the add-ons to this kit as well.

I did pull from some of the add-ons to this kit as well. In fact, those fabric stars where part of the add-ons. Plus they were a popular item with the team this month! I knew that the sewing technique and the fabric they used would make it a bit tricky to do at home, especially at that size! I altered it up to fit my needs: non-fraying fabric plus sewing that didn’t require my machine. That way I could sit and stitch while I watch TV, lol. Despite my less than perfect blanket stitch (pointy corners stump me!) I think they came out well.

Next up I wanted to tackle those charms. My first thought was to make them from clay. But I don’t have any clay and I was not about to go out and buy some. If I did that I might as well just buy some already made charms. The point is to use what we have on had to mimic the inspiration. So I pulled out shrink plastic and metallic ink. It has been a while since I’ve worked with shrink plastic, but it was just as satisfying as I remember!

The final idea is one that I based my entire kit around this month: postage. I have been loving the trendy postage theme out in the crafty world lately. I have a few products that are clearly postage related. Yet as you can see from my makes, you can use just about anything to create these little gems. It helps to start with a great postage die. I used the Waffle Flower Postage Collage die. Waffle Flower makes many postage products; this one is sized for A2 cards. I threw in plenty of other supplies from my stash to create postage, from a nature theme to an Alice in Wonderland theme.

That is where I had to stop with my makes. I had too many ideas for my energy to hold out. I was very tired by the time I finished all these. It took me a couple of days to get through everything but it was fun. If you want to see details on how to create these, my video is up. Each make is in its own section so feel free to jump around to just what you want.

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 product ideas with supplies you may 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.

Supplies Used
*Affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you.

➜➜➜ FOR THE POSTAGE STAMPS
★★ Waffle Flower, Postage collage coloring stencil
★★ Waffle Flower, Postage collage die set, A2 size
★★ Sizzix, Stencil and Stamp Tool:
From Scrapbook.com
From Scrapbookpal.com
From ACherryonTop.com
★★ Honey Bee, angled shading brush
★★ Spellbinders, die cutting tool
★★ Spellbinders, alabaster, 12×12 cardstock

➜➜➜ FOR THE STUFFED STARS
★★ Spellbinders, quality Wool felt sheets: Not what I used but a good quality.
★★ Pacon, craft felt sheets, inexpensive: Not what I used but an inexpensive option.
★★ Colonial Needle, Embroidery needles: just an option
★★ DMC, embroidery floss/thread

➜➜➜ FOR THE “METAL” CHARMS”
★★ Spellbinders, die cutting cleaning tool
★★ Lawn Fawn, small alphabet stamp set: Not what I used but similar
★★ Lisa Horton, metallic pigment inks
★★ Spellbinders, corner rounder + notch tool
★★ StazOn, jet black, permanent ink
(In addition ultra fine point sharpies, the shrink plastic and a 1/8 inch hole punch can be found on Amazon.

Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), July ’25

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.

Since we always start our forgery projects with inspiration, here is the image we are working with this month. It is the Balboa kit from 2014. This kit no longer exists, which a perfect reason to pull inspiration from it and make our own version!

There were many ideas I could pull from this. I ended up focusing on three things.

The Chalkboard pattern papers. I thought I had some in my stash, but didn’t find it when pulling my kit. So… I’ll just make it!
The fancy pins. In fact, I think my mock version is even better than the real thing. Stay tuned for why!
That “Hello” word. A nice thick chipboard word covered in colorful spatters? Yes please!

Here is a quick look at the finished items. But let’s go over them briefly one at a time.

Chalkboard Paper

This process is really easier to see in action. I’ve got the video tutorial linked below for you.

I punched out a nearly 2 inch circle and cut it in half. Then I cut that half in half. That left me with a quarter of a circle. I used that to trace the curved edges. With a white gel pen I was able to trace a cruve in each corner of a black piece of cardstock. Remember to use the smooth side if you have textured cardstock. Then with a ruler I could connect each of those curves with stright line. Repeat that process to create a second border. Then realize there are smudges of white gel pen and make more purposeful smudges and marks to make them blend in.

Decorative Sewing Pins

Recreating these pins is awesome. I’ve used real sewing pins for projects in the past. They create two problems: danger of being poked and excess bulk on layouts. My version solved both those problems. You can make these using twist ties! Peel off the paper portion of the tie, but leave about 3/4 of an inch of the paper intact at one end. This is where you can glue on enamel dots. Once the glue is dry, trim away any excess paper using a pair of fine scissors and you have your mock pins! They are a major budget saver as well.

Just a note: the one on the right end was made using Nuvo stone drops instead of enamel dots. While it did work, these weren’t my favorite.

Word Art

Finally, I made the Hello word. This was easy to do on my Cricut. But you can also use dies. I just don’t have any word dies this size. I cut 4 layers of the word, then stacked and glued them. Once dry I simply splattered them with some watercolor. Done!

You can see all these ideas in action in my makes video below.

Until next time, have an artful day.

Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), April ’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.

Since we always start our forgery projects with inspiration, here is the image we are working with this month. It is the Lil’ Man collection from Bella Gypsy. You can find this digital kit over at Pickle Berry Pop. Since it is a digital kit, that gives us the perfect reason to create our own version of physical products!

I honed in even further on some of this collections elements for today’s projects. What do you think I’ll be making from each graphic? I’ll tell you know that the third one is my favorite!

I started off easy with die cut and stenciled cork embellishments. Pigment ink is the key to stenciling these items. The opaque ink will show up crisp on the cork!

Next up I played with wire. This was a bit of a struggle with some of the ideas and easier with others. After checking them out, would you attempt this one?

For sure, this last idea was a super new one to me. Not only was it really fun to create, but it worked beautifully! I made paint splatter stickers! Acrylic paint can be hard to work on cardstock. The wet nature of the paint takes a long time to dry and it can really warp paper. The solution? Make them on a non-stick surface ahead of time. Let them dry. Peel them up and put them on your project like you would a sticker! Any size, any color. Plus it takes the fear out of mixed media. Only use the ones you love!

These were just a few of the paint splatters I created. To see even more, check out the video.

Until next time, have an artful day.

Media Mats: An overview

Moving through 2025 I want to provide more informational content. Starting off the year I want to take a look at Media Mats. I’m starting here since you will see me use inks, paints and sprays on my projects on a regular basis. You will also see the various mats I use to keep my space clean, make cleanup easier and help me get the job done faster.

I created a video explaining many things on these mats. However that video is now fixed and can’t be changed. In fact I have now thought of one idea I missed already! Here I have the opportunity to update and correct information based on feedback!

Let’s start with that video. I’ll move on to a chart that you can download for free. Finally I’ll share many details of each mat category and the various qualities.

Download this pdf chart.

Latest update: February 2, 2025

More Details

Paper Mats

From scratch paper to specialty mats you can purchase. Paper sheets are a cheap and disposable way to make cleanup easier. Larger mats with grids can be purchased and the grids are very useful

★ Best uses: ink blending; catching messy mediums to throw away

Pros

Free or cheap
Readily available
Disposable so no further cleaning is needed.

Cons

Creates a lot of trash
Can’t handle very wet mediums

Laminated Paper Mats

The provide many of the same qualities as glass mats at a fraction of the cost. However, getting larger sizes requires going to an office store. Sizes around 13in x13in are available for home use. Consider a machine like the Minc which can be used both for craft techniques and for medium-size lamination.

★ Best uses: any mediums; smaller projects

Pros

Can be very inexpensive if you have a machine.
Machines have other uses such as storage dividers, preserving memorabilia, die cutting shims, toner foiling, etc.

Cons

Need a machine or access to an office supply store to make one for you.
Not heat stable

Splat Boxes

Free when you repurpose a shipping box or pizza box.

★ Best uses: sprays and spatters

Pros

No cleaning
Good for sprays and splatters
Free if you reuse a box!

Cons

Needs to dry in between uses (or line with disposables such as paper towels)
Bulky to store
Not for most mediums

The Craft Mat

One of the original craft surfaces produced by Ranger with Tim Holtz. The original brown color lacked the ability to see the true color of mediums. A newer white version solves that.

★ Best uses: All mediums, smaller projects

Pros

Reduces media waste (scrape it up and put it back in the jar)
Slick surface is easy to clean. Plus it is easy to take to the sink for deeper cleaning.
Great for paints & pastes
Lightest weight
Heat resistant (but thin!)
Low cost
Can have multiple on hand
Cuttable to have multiple smaller mats

Cons

Creases & cracks (store rolled up)
Not big enough for scrapbook layouts
Hard to tape things down to it due to it’s slick surface.
Slips and slides around with movement like ink blending. Difficult to tape still due to that slick surface.

Silicone Mats

Likely originating in the kitchen industry. In my opinion, the most overrated of the bunch. Has a slightly grippy surface, but not grippy enough to keep things from slipping. Easy to take to the sink for cleaning.

★ Best uses: keep ink pads still when ink blending

Pros

Repurpose from kitchen baking mats
Affordable
Cuttable to have multiple smaller mats
Most mediums (except alcohol inks)
Can work as a palette also
Other uses: ink pad grips
Good heat resistance for drying projects with a heat tool, or to protect surfaces while heat embossing.

Cons

Not as grippy as marketed
Picks up lint, dust, pet hair VERY easily and hard to clean that off. Store it inside a bag to keep it clean.
Due to lint, often needs a hose down in the sink.

Photopolymer Mats

One of the most expensive options “per square inch” and limited uses. However, it is very good at what it does!

★ Best uses: ink blending & stenciling

Pros

Most grippy
Long lasting
Fairly easy to clean.
Now come in versions that offer stamps on one side and the grip mat property on the other.

Cons

Expensive for its size
Larger sizes not available (ie 12×12)
Can’t use alcohol products (Sharpies included)
Stains over time
Picks up lint & dust VERY easily. Must clean often to maintain grip.
Can’t handle heat or cutting.

Sticky Mats

Slightly better at hold power than photopolymer mats, but not nearly as long lasting. The sticky adhesive wears out over time. There may be ways to reapply adhesive but this requires some special products.

★ Best uses: ink blending & stenciling

Pros

Holds things in place well
Easy to find
Fairly inexpensive
Can repurpose other things like older Cricut mats
Cuttable to have multiple smaller mats
Can be large enough for scrapbook pages

Cons

Sticky wears out quicker than you might think
The mat itself can slide around. Can tape it down. (DON’T add tape to sticky zone.)
Not great for pastes. (However, can mask off exposed sticky to use pastes anyway.)
Must be wiped with a lint free cloth like a chamois.
Store with plastic cover (usually included) to prevent collecting dust & lint.

Self-Healing Mats

Originally from the sewing industry for rotary cutters. Great size options. Decent price. Good for many mediums. Plus the added bonus of being able to use it as a light-duty cutting surface.

★ Best uses: general table protection

Pros

Lots of size options
Self healing (craft knives okay!)
Helpful grids
Light-ish weight
General craft store availability (can also check sewing department for other brands)
Heat resistant (not proof)
Mid-range price
Can be cut down to multiple other sizes.

Cons

Not as smooth as glass (cleaning pastes is harder)
Can gouge if cutting on it
Few color options
May cloud with alcohol cleaners and inks (but not too bad)
Can stain depending on mat color

Glass Mats

My favorite of the bunch with one big downside as a YouTuber: it reflects lighting very easily. This is the heaviest of the bunch so best to set it and forget it.

★ Best uses: all mediums, cutting

Pros

Reduces media waste (scrape it up and put it back in the jar)
Long lasting
Most have grids
Knife resistant (check brand first, surface grid printing can interfere)
Can be pretty
Can have magnetic properties
Very smooth for easy cleanup
Heat resistant for heat embossing.
No staining

Cons

Expensive
Heavy
Can break if dropped. Best left in place
Glare if filming
Some adhesives need alcohol to remove.
Due to it’s thickness, creates a lip on your work surface that can be irritating.

Glimmer of the Month subscription, month ’25

I’ve decided to dive into the hot foiling trend. I never expected to actually do it. The cost of a foiling machine, the cost of new foiling plates, the space to store it all and getting caught up in the latest and greatest were all a bit overwhelming. And yet. And yet I was feeling a sense of FOMO. It was almost akin to the early days of die cutting; it was the latest and greatest. But would it be an expensive fad to fade away? Die cutting ended up being a staple crafting method. I believe hot foiling is as well.

My shifting thinking toward hot foiling collided with a ridiculously cost saving Black Friday deal. I accidentally ran across a hot foiling machine for a discontinuing price of $25. I was stunned. And also sold! The next step was how to go about adding some hot foiling plates to my stash in a reasonably affordable way.

Enter another collision of events. I had been subscribing to the Freckled Fawn memory keeping kit and cancelled it back in November due to poor customer service. I thought I would take a break from subscriptions for a while again. However, the Spellbinders kits have been in my periphery for a while. When I found the hot foil machine, signing up for a monthly foil plate subscription just seemed to make sense. I could slowly add to my supplies and also some monthly happy mail. I may even try to keep the goodies a surprise if I can manage to avoid all the social media reveals!

So, on with my first happy mail goodies. I received the December “kit” near to Christmas and held off making the unboxing video until after the holidays. So here is what the December set involved.

On the left you can see the outlines of all the pieces included: The larger floral corner, two sentiment plates and the coordinating three dies to cut out the pieces. The center shows off how things will look when used as designed. To complete the monthly kit there is a roll of hot foil. This time it was matte gold. How can you have shiny foiling that is also matte? I don’t know the magic they use, but the results are beautiful!

I had a learning curve to overcome when setting to work. After a few mistakes I got the hang of it and the results were amazing. I quickly got ideas on projects and made it happen. I created a set of cards for Galentine’s Day as well as a scrapbook layout using some scraps.

Neither of these images do justice to the shine of the foiling. You should watch the video to get the full effect.

I hope you’ll join me later in the moth as I unbox and explore the January glimmer products. I’m looking forward to adding more shiny goodness to my projects this year.

Until next time, have an artful day!

Spellbinders Advent Day 22-24

Join me all month of advent as I open each day of the Spellbinders Crafty Advent Calendar. Some days I will create a project and some days I’ll just show off the goodies. No matter what, I know I will use each and every product at least once this month. So much fun awaits!

If you missed previous days, be sure to go back and see the first seven days as well as days 8-14. If after seeing all the goodness you’d like to grab one of these calendars, they are on discount right now (as of 12/11/24) over at ACherryOnTop.com**. For now, let’s dive into the next section of fun.

Day 22: Pink Sequins

Day 23: Floating Cat

Oh my goodness! This cat is so dang cute. If you remember back on the 6th we got a very cutesy bee that I said was not my style? Yet today I’m in love with cute? I think the difference is that while the bee is big-eyed and anthropomorphized, this cat is more cat-representative and in a silly situation. So, yeah, cute vs cutesy is a thing for me.

Now, my daughter said the cat should be in a box. Thus, I made it so! (I wonder how many people will get cats as Christmas gifts this year??) At any rate, the box was easy to make. I cut two squares of the same size. One became the box base. The other I trimmed at an angle on the two sides, and I trimmed off a bit of the bottom. This creates perspective for the front box flap. I glued it flat down at the top and popped up the bottom edge with some foam squares for dimension. The two side flaps were simply slivers of cardstock. A bit more ink shading where things over lapped and voila, box!

Day 24: Luggage set

What a fun die set! You know I had to do a bit extra for this one. The still photos do not say it all. You really have to watch the video to get the whole experience!

Day 25: Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

To see the rest of this series, visit these pages.
Days: 1-7
Days 8-14
Days 15-21
Days 22-24 (you are here)

** I use affiliate links when possible. When you shop using my links I earn a very small commission at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work in this small way!

Spellbinders Advent Day 15-21

Day 15: Embossing Folder

Day 16: Sentiment Die Set

Day 17: Nested ticket/postage edged die set

I had way too much fun with this nested set. I was supposed to keep the day’s project simple. But. Nope. I had to make all the things.

Day 18: Sequins

You know I had to do it at some point. Today I made a shaker! And a bonus card too for other sequin ideas.

Day 19: Sentiment Stamp Set

I was rushed for time today. So my exposure is bad on my filming (and still image capture!) But I did make really good use of many leftover bits that I have been saving throughout the series. I cut a new tag and did some ink blending. Besides that and the stamping, everything else was done.

Day 20: Random Dots Stencil

Day 21: Popsicle

I admit that some of the included pieces kind of puzzled me. In fact, they felt like a puzzle as I was trying to layer them all together. I think in the end there are options, LOL.

To see the rest of this series, visit these pages.
Days: 1-7
Days 8-14 (you are here)
Days 15-21
Days 22-24

** I use affiliate links when possible. When you shop using my links I earn a very small commission at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work in this small way!

Spellbinders Advent Day 8-14

If you missed days 1-7, be sure to go back and check them out. For now, let’s dive into day 8. If after seeing all the goodness you’d like to grab one of these calendars, they are on discount right now (as of 12/11/24) over at ACherryOnTop.com**.

Day 8: Vase & Flowers

While I loved this vase, I knew everyone out there would make a vase with flowers in it. I definitely like to show other ways to use supplies. So today I used the vase as a rainbow background for a cluster of flowers.

Day 9: Sequins

Today we got the sequins I knew would come at some point. Each year Spellbinders has included 2 packs of sequins. I really like this style of sequin as it has no hole and that makes gluing them down so much easier! While most people would make a shaker that doesn’t require glue, I made a disco ball instead.

Day 10: Sentiment Die set

Today’s three sentiment dies read “just saying hello” when stacked together. However, you can always split them up into different word groups.

Day 11: Embossing Folder

Yes! We got an embossing folder in our advent box. It is a small one, but a mighty one. I enjoyed using an inking technique for this one that I learned from Jennifer McGuire.

Day 12: Lemonade Glass

Unfortunately my camera’s exposure settings were off and my video & graphics are a bit blown out. I’ve tried to correct it as best as I can. You’ll have to trust me that this tag is more fun in person!

Day 13: Multi-lingual Sentiment Stamp Set

Finding ways to use sentiments so that they stand out as a featured item is a bit tricky for me. I’ve come back to my much used idea: repeat stamping.

Day 14: French Bulldog

I was inspired on day 9 by Mostly Paper Crafts‘ YouTube channel. She turned the honey bee die we got on day 6 into an entirely different critter. I usually see different ideas in dies, but the bee did not click with me. That is, until I saw her video. Then… when we got today’s little bulldog a flood of ideas hit me. So here they all are, LOL. All these critters were made with a combo of the bee and/or the bulldog pieces.

To see the rest of this series, visit these pages.
Days: 1-7
Days 8-14 (you are here)
Days 15-21
Days 22-24

** I use affiliate links when possible. When you shop using my links I earn a very small commission at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work in this small way!

Spellbinders advent is back! Recap Day 1-7

Days 1-7

Join me all month of advent as I open each day of the Spellbinders Crafty Advent. Some days I will create a project and some days I’ll just show off the goodies. No matter what, I know I will use each and every product at least once this month. So much fun awaits!

Here I will collect each week of the project and post pictures and videos to share the fun and inspiration. If after seeing all the goodness you’d like to grab one of these calendars, they are on discount right now (as of 12/11/24) over at ACherryOnTop.com**.

Day 1: A Hot Air Balloon

Day 2: Floral Stamp

Day 3: Flower Set

Day 4: Sentiment Banners

Day 5: Doodled Borders

I’ll admit I’m not sure how much use this little squiggle die set. But I had fun with it today and that is what matters right now. 😊

Day 6: Honey Bee

If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably know that cutesy is not my style. I’m super excited about this bee. I’m sure plenty of people are though! At any rate I made use of the bee but he’ll likely sit unused after this. That is okay. I’m still loving my Advent Calendar!

Day 7: Floral Stencil

No time for a project today. But I got a quick video in and gave info on what I’m doing with all these tags that I am making during this series. Stay tuned for that blog post coming very soon.

By day 10 I was able to finally do a makeup project for day 7. I actually made something Christmas themed!

To see the rest of this series, visit these pages.
Days: 1-7 (you are here)
Days 8-14
Days 15-21
Days 22-24

** I use affiliate links when possible. When you shop using my links I earn a very small commission at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work in this small way!

Ghosting!

No not the person who you were talking too who suddenly ghosted you.

No, not the haunted spirit kind of ghosts. (Though that is close.😉)

I want to talk about the technique of ink ghosting! While this technique is very simple to explain, it does take some time and patience to get right. So let me show you how it is done and give you of tips & tricks.

Work on heavy cardstock. The smoother the better.
Choose a water reactive ink. Many basic dye inks on the market will work. Look for labels that say “permanent” or “watercolor friendly”. Those are the ones to avoid!
Spread ink all over your paper really well. Ink brayers or foam daubers work great. You can use blending brushes but it will take much longer to get a good coat of ink.
Use an open shaped stencil. Anything with too much detail can get blurry.
Cover up any paper that sticks out beyond the stencil!!
Spray a light mist of water from about 12 inches away until the images are evenly coated.
Wait for about 10 seconds. Dab excess water away with a dry towel.
Repeat as needed to get full coverage on your project!
Voila!

Now I have a bit of an announcement. I will be opening a small online shop to sell a few products. One of them will be this ghost stencil that I designed! If you really want to see it in action, the video below shows all the detail.