Counterfeit Kit March - 2

Well March is now over and I do have few layouts to share that I made with my March Counterfeit Kit.  I still have a pile of stuff to use so this will also become my April kit, but as the most important thing is to USE my stash, that is all ok with me!  Still scrapping photos from that same vacation/holiday way back in 2000.  And if you don't know what a 'Counterfeit Kit' is, click on the link ----------->

I love this first layout and was so glad that I added in some teal and red to my Feb kit when I created my new March kit.  I even used more of my pre-cut Cricut cuts and these photos were the reason I welded letters together to spell 'squished!' LOL  We owned a very little Holden Barina and when we went camping (even to stay in a chalet) the car was packed to the brim with baby stuff, food, and other essentials.

This next layout was based on a sketch by Shimelle and came together quickly while I spent an evening crafting with friends.  I love that my Counterfeit kit enables me to travel for crafting and only take the one container that it fits in along with my tool tote ... allows for quickly grabbing my stuff and running out the door! (not a great photo ... sorry)

While I was making the next layout a HUGE part of the story returned to my mind that I had totally forgotten about.  I hadn't left enough room in the journalling block and so I think I will make a second page for it and fill it only with journalling.  I actually think that Glitter Girl's video this week is on this exact subject so that will fit in very nicely.

We were actually delayed a day in leaving for this vacation as we were both summonsed to court as witnesses for an incident that occurred BEFORE The Extrovert was even born.  We now had two children and this was only just coming to trial!  That is one very slow legal system!  There are more Cricut cuts on this one and I also used the stamp set from my original kit (LOVE that stamped lace).

This last double layout was a quick one to use up scraps and knock-off five photos quickly.  Normally when I have lots of photos I often insert a divided page protector and slot them in with some decorated paper scraps.  I thought that I would try something different as I only had five photos of this particular part of the deer park.  It is a bit plain for my liking so I will probably go back once I have finished all of the photos and use up some more scraps to finish it off.  I just didn't want to cut into any more whole papers yet as I am only about half way.

Well that wasn't too bad an effort for my very busy March!  I hope you had a fabulous Easter :-)

Chipper

Counterfeit Kit July 2012!

I was photographing a pile of layouts when at the bottom of the pile I came across the last layout I did for my July Counterfeit Kit.  I couldn't find a blog post about it so better late than never, here is the last layout I did with that kit.  After that there wasn't much patterned paper left!

The Thinker was terrified of the stingray pool at Discovery Cove and at first he wouldn't feed them.  But he overcame his fear and really enjoyed it.  I love watching my children try something new!  I used my Cricut to cut the title and the 'moments' bit at the top.  A few strips of washi tape makes a great journaling block.

Chipper

Counterfeit Kit July - Three!

I saw that there was a Sketch Challenge over at the CKC site (see link on the right!) using a sketch from PageMaps.  I started out planning to follow it, but as I was using two photos that were different orientations I changed it.  Here is the sketch ...

And here is my version ...

I am so proud of myself - I have now used all THREE Cricut cartridges I put in the kit.  The car is from Summer Vacation.  I even used three swirly metal clips that have been in my stash for what feels like forever!  All of our pre-digital photos have been packed for the past three years and when I had to find a photo of my Grandpa a few weeks ago it gave me the push I needed to FIND the box with the photos (we are still in a 'temporary' rental ... can't wait until we will be one day be settled again in our own house!).  I am so happy to be getting back to these photos.  None of my kids baby photos are scrapped and I really want to get that remedied.  Already printed photos just waiting to be scrapped seems to have given me a boost in morale :-)  I used my most favourite supply at the moment on this layout ... Mr Huey Shine spray!!  I love the stuff and have just had to buy my second bottle.  It jazzes up everything with LOTS of shine and sparkle.  Far more than any other one I have tried.  All of the 'white' marks on the car are actually shiny!

So after completing this layout Saturday night I got engrossed in a Star Trek movie and didn't do anything else even though the TV is right next to my craft space!  So this morning I took stock of what papers are left from my kit and this is what I had left ...

I am quite impressed with what I have used so far.  I have added more card stock as needed, plus a few scraps but still seem to have plenty left!  So here is ANOTHER layout featuring The Thinker's second birthday.  Birthday's when the kids were little were always busy as they have four sets of Grandparents who don't always get along (although they are much better now).  We had lunch at McDonald's with my dad.  This suited the boys just fine as they played in playland and we still had cake :-)

I used the washi tape to created a pleated strip at the bottom.  It is so easy to do this as the tape is already sticky and if you stick it wrong, you just lift it back up!  I then layered two strips of the orange washi tape on top of each other to make it less transparent.  It added a nice bit of texture without making it thick, which ribbon tends to do when you pleat it.  While I don't mind lumps and bumps on my pages, I am more of a flat-ish scrapper as space for albums is limited!  I have a friend who can't usually fit more than 10 layouts in an album LOL  I very rarely go that thick!

I printed the photo that The Princess was waiting for at work on Saturday and here is her final layout from her kit. 

The kids have to come to work with us on Saturday's and in the afternoon I set up The Princess on YouTube to watch some Glitter Girl videos, along with some other ones by Shimelle.  She loves them and last night all I heard was "Did you know ... ?" or "Glitter Girl said ..."!!!  But it was good to see that she was listening and that it has finally encouraged her to write something on her layouts (but only because it wasn't mommy telling her to!).  The Princess has a form of dyslexia that makes it hard for her to get the words she wants to say written down.  She knows exactly what she wants to say, but struggles to get more than four words on the page as her mind draws a blank every time she picks up a pen.  It is very frustrating for her and she is really trying hard using lots of recommended techniques.  Here are her latest creations.

There is only one week left of school holidays and then we won't have this much crafting time together again until the next school holidays.  Thank you for indulging us :-D

Chipper

Counterfeit Kit July - Two!

Yippee!!  I have a Counterfeit Kit TWO post!!!  I haven't had this much fun in ages and I am so glad I am playing along.  The Princess was very excited by all your comments, so thank you for taking the time to mention her.  She still can't believe it.  We both have more to share with this months kit and my first one is a double page.  I don't normally do doubles but there was a series of four photos so a double seemed the way to go.  

I used three more of my pre-cut Cricut cuts - all from Graphically Speaking.  The border of two's at the bottom, "life's little" at the top and the "moments" at the bottom.  Remember that these were all grey to start with.

These are 'bluer' than they should be (all of the photos this time are) ... I really need to find better natural light :-)

There isn't a great deal to this double and so you think it would have been quick ... nope!  Doubles really make my mind hit a brick wall.

After all these boy layouts from the same event I was getting bored so I pulled out the one flowery paper in my kit and found a photo from another event.  This is still a pre-digital print with only one photo from the day.  

I cut a Cricut title and just built layers with scraps.  I did add the flowers and trims to my kit as I hadn't originally put any in.  The background paper for this layout is probably about 5-6 years old.  I am so happy that it has made it into my albums.  I have so many papers ... I think I have a slight addiction ... well maybe a HUGE one LOL ... and now I am using them!!!!!

So the 'girly' layout was done and I could go back to The Thinker's second birthday and get some more of those ones done.  I had fun with this and even turned the washi tape into bunting (flags)!  I also cut MORE stuff on my Cricut (graphically speaking again!) as I wanted an arrow and the word "pure" just leapt out of the handbook screaming "use me!".  You can't really see it here but in the photo The Thinker has the cutest look of joy on his face.

The Princess had only made a little kit and she has made a second layout (but she doesn't want me to photograph it yet as we are waiting for a photo to be printed)  and then from the scraps she made a door hanger that tells the boys that it is a "Girls Room ONLY", and two little cards.

And that was The Princess' kit finished.  We have really enjoyed doing this together and as there is still a week left of the school holidays I took her shopping for a few more bits and pieces.  Now she is busily making more layouts and cards using some of the Papermania Lucy Cromwell range.  I am sure she is going to want me to add them here too when they are done.  

It is my day off tomorrow and I shall be planning more crafting ... I still can't believe how much I have gotten done this week!  And I feel so much more relaxed.

Happy Crafting,

Chipper

Mini Album (photo heavy!)

We have close friends who are expecting their first baby and I wanted to make them something special.  There is a French book binding technique that I have been wanting to play around with for years and this seemed the perfect opportunity to experiment :-)  I read about it in a fabric journal book and it had been adapted from paper binding, so I combined the two!  I think I would change the spines of each signature a bit next time but I still loved it.  The only thing I bought for the whole album was the mouse tail (thin cord ribbon - the next size smaller than rats tail) to lace it with.

It has taken me weeks to complete it and we gave it to them on Sunday when we had them over for dinner.  They almost cried :-) Sorry about the quality of the photos but it is winter and I photographed it just before I wrapped it so there wasn't time to check the photos for quality!

Here is the beautiful binding (and no, I am not blowing my own trumpet LOL! I love the cross-overs).  I used four chipboard signatures (folded pages) but had to keep fabric along the fold (next time I would make this part a bit thicker - perhaps a piece of felt in the gap??) I just made it up as I went along and didn't start with any plan other than how to assemble each signature.

So I painted and decorated each chipboard page using HOTP Retro 8x8 papers so that it would suit either a boy or a girl.  I attached a sheet of double sided adhesive to a piece of fabric and cut it into strips.  I only had a fat quarter that matched so I had to use two strips for each page centre.  Below you can see two chipboard rectangles with the first piece of fabric attached.

This is a completed signature with both sides of adhesive fabric attached.  There is a 1cm section in the centre that is only fabric.  But both sides are stuck together so it is quite strong.

Here are the four signatures stacked and ready for the next stage.  I really wanted this book to be durable so when it came to making the holes I set each one with an eyelet.  I hadn't intended to do that but I am glad I did as it looked great.

Next came the decorating as I wanted to allow enough room in the album for the embellishments so I bound it last.  This was more difficult than expected as I had to be very careful to not damage anything!  So here is the completed book ...

Front cover

The first page - the right side opens up ...

To list pregnancy milestones that they can add dates to.

Then there is a fold out accordion album on the left for ultrasound pictures.  There is even a tag behind for journaling.  The words say "Who will I look like?"

A page for their own writing.

A spot for journaling and photos.  The right side will hold 6x4 photos and  has a few  photo mats in it.

This is all about preparing the nursery.  Note the ManU shirt hanging on the line.  This baby has a ManU dad and a ManCity mum!!!!  This is one argument the dad will win :-)

The left side is a hidden 'top secret' pocket for writing potential names.

It slides up to reveal the names and a poem about choosing the perfect name,

And a page all about the baby shower with flaps on the right to hold 6x4 photos.

My good ol' Cricut got a workout cutting bits and pieces and I used HEAPS of stuff I already owned!  It was a labour of love and I am very happy that the recipients appreciated it.  They aren't crafters (but there is still time to bring them over to our side :D) but they noticed so many details that I know they were actually looking at it and not just being polite.

I think I shall make another mini with this binding ... I might start researching how it is done with paper as it could make some nice books and there are some beautiful papers out there :-)

Have a great week,

Chipper

Almost a Birthday

It is almost time for The Extroverts 13th Birthday. Which means it is his turn for a party. I have just now finished his invitations. They are kind of teenagery (not really a word!) with a bit of sparkle thrown in. I cut the card blank on the Cricut and embossed the front with a brick wall. I used coredinations card so I could sand it back. He wanted dark blue and I added a bit of red sparkle with 'Mels Diner' glimmer mist. I cut the inserts to fit and sprayed them with a quick blotch of 'bell bottom jeans' glimmer mist. I then stamped the insides and filled in the blanks.

He is off to a laser battle place with some friends and then we will all have pizza.

I love parties and I can't wait!
Chipper

Pocket page Challenge

I made the first page today for my Christmas album.  I also used it to complete the pocket Challenge over at Shimelle's for her Christmas crafting weekend.  I used an acetate sheet from a Making Memories journaling book to make my pocket.  We are back in the land of HOT Christmases and I REALLY, REALLY miss the thought of snow at Christmas.  I am going to use this page to write down some of those thoughts.  But first I will wait for it to get really hot as that is probably when I will be most honest!!!  I also added some buttons, stickers, punched snowflakes and Cricut snowflakes.  Along with some stitching and the obligatory bling, cause it is Christmas after all!

Thanks for stopping by,

Chipper

Halloween Craft-a-thon

At the shop we are having a 12hr Halloweek Craft-a-thon!  I really want everyone to have lots of fun and it isn't really just about dressing up as only about half of the 24 people attending will dress up.  We are planning on using the dummy from my previous post as a scarecrow that will hold this sign that I made today at the entry.  I have made a few more things for the attendees that I thought I would share.

When each person arrives they will find a welcome pack at their place at the table.  It includes info for the day and some competitions.  There will also be a small pumpkin 'pick-me-up-pack' for those sugar lows during the day.  They are just pumpkin boxes with a few sweets in them.

We have both cardmakers and scrapbookers (and a few that do both!) coming to our craft-a-thon.  In their welcome pack they will find a BINGO card for each craft.  The idea is that they can cross off each box as they do them, but they can only use ONE box per project.  The first person to complete any 5 in a row wins! So there will be a winner for each craft.  Here are the BINGO cards that I made (I hope you can see them as they did not like being turned into a photo).

We have all sorts of other mini competitions planned and a few of us are decorating the room on Wednesday.  It is going to look so good!  One of the other games is a guessing game.  I got the idea of the net somewhere but it is great to help people new to crafting learn the names of some of the tools of the trade.  We are putting 12 random craft items into paper bags.  Each bag is then labeled 1 thru 12.  Everyone can feel the bags and try to work out what is in each without peeking.  I wonder if anyone will work out all 12?  I still haven't even decided what 12 items to use!

So lots to get done around here by Saturday morning.  The LOML even cooks them all a hot lunch!  We cheat for dinner though and get in pizza.  And I have promised them all that I will bake them Black Eyed Susans for morning tea.  There are some wonderful ladies coming and I am sure we will all have a great time.

Chipper

Open wide ... it's an aeroplane

When dining at the 50's Prime Time cafe in Disney's Studios it is never wise to leave an unfinished portion of dinner on your plate.  The waiter is likely to pick up your fork and make it into a aeroplane and fly it towards the hopefully open 'hanger'!!!!  Funny if you are a kid, embarrassing if you are an adult. (I finished everything on my plate!)  I actually think The Extrovert deliberately left some food on his plate so he could be in on all the action.

My Little Shoe Box 'Garden Party' & 'Home Tweet Home'

I used some papers from My Little Shoebox (along with a scrap of American Crafts clouds) and quickly assembled the base of this layout.  If it wasn't for all the hand stitching this would have been another quick one!  I cut the plane on my Cricut and stitched a loopy flight path.  I then stitched the "open wide" in the same thread.  After all the time (and patience) it took to stitch those two bits, I cheated and drew stitching lines everywhere else.  I added a few extra clouds for a bit more detail and this one was done.  I have been itching to use some of these papers and they weren't working with any photo I had to hand but they were a perfect fit for this one :-)

Chipper

P.S. I always spell 'airplane' like this and for some reason when it came to doing the title I spelt it 'aeroplane'!  As I was doing this page I had the tune from an old Aussie TV commercial about 'Aeroplane Jelly' floating around in my head and without realising it I spelt it the way they do.  And I don't even call jell-o 'jelly'!!!!!!  Oh the woes of a mixed up childhood LOL  Here is the advert that was replayed on TV when I was a kid.  Enjoy, and don't get the song stuck in your head :-)

Busy Backgrounds

There are times when I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE busy background paper.  You can get a layout done in around 15 min and from a distance it looks like you took hours.  I loved the end result of this layout so much that I propped it up on the piano all week to keep looking at it!  However, I am warning you ... you may need to go grab yourself a pair of sunnies!

Basic Grey 'Obscure'

I was feeling particularly slack and it was late.  I glanced at this photo and thought 'urban' and this is what I produced.  The is the FIRST time I have been able to use a piece of my Basic Grey Obscure collection pack.  I have had this pack since it came out and have never found a use for any of the papers!  We took this photo while on the 'Back Lot' at Disney Studios in Florida.  All I added was a bit of paint and glimmer mist around the photo, some ink around all the edges, the city skyline cut on my Cricut, mixed alphas I painted black, and some splatters of white paint across the whole thing.  Oh, and I dug out some old foam stamps for the squares in the title.  All in all I think it took longer for the paint to dry on the lettering than it took to assemble!

Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier if all my pages only took 15 min ... I think I shall still be scrapping this vacation when I am 60!

Chipper

LSNED - Day 10

"Do not leave things until the last minute!"

I am sure this is a lesson that we all learn from time to time, and it is one that I have to keep reminding myself frequently.  You could say that I learnt it good this time around!  I had great plans to give my cousin and his wife a nappy/diaper cake and some baby shower thankyou cards as a gift for their baby shower on Sunday. I did manage to finish them all but not one piece is how I had wanted it to be.  Probably my only saving grace is that I have a Cricut machine and neither of them craft! LOL

Here is what I made them.  I am taking the photos at work and I am surrounded by industrial buildings.  These are the best backgrounds I can get :-)

Nappy/Diaper cake

Baby Shower Thank you cards

I used the Cricut cartridge 'New Arrivals' and cut all the animals at 5in.  That way I could use my matching Peachy Keen stamps for their faces.  It really finishes the animals off nicely and there is no way that I could draw the faces myself!  The cards were cut from the same cartridge and I really had to hunt for generic baby colours!!!  The Princess helped me decorate the cards and she put the chalked cheeks on all the animals.  The Thinker hunted the internet for a baby shower thank you poem for the inside and he found a great site HERE.

So never leave things till the last minute or you end up having to rush!!!!

Chipper