Counterfeit Kit June - Layout 3

While catching up on my blog reading this morning I found a new sketch from Shimelle which caught my eye as something different ...

I liked the sun burst idea and thought I would tinker and play with this in mind.  I originally began by following the sketch to the letter using my Counterfeit Kit for the month but I was having difficulty with the patterns and my photos and almost gave up.

I started again beginning with white (I know, I think I am getting addicted) and focused on the sunburst.  I still used my Counterfeit Kit but chose another paper and left choosing photos until I had made a start.

I LOVE how it turned out but I couldn't get a great photo of it, sorry.  There are subtle stamped arrows with hearts where you see the black outline of a heart.  The page is also shimmery from the Glimmer Mists 'Mels Dinner' and 'Vintage Pink', along with highlights around the title and sunburst with a Sakura 'Stardust Clear' pen.  The black arrow strip is actually the reverse of the heart paper from American Crafts XOXO collection called 'All My Heart'.

Love at First Sight

The Princess is kissing Rascal the dolphin during our 'Twilight Swim with the Dolphins' at Discovery Cove back in 2008.  The first dolphin we played with was Diego and he was a character.  The Princess patted him but was a little timid.  But Rascal was so gentle and she finally felt secure enough to give him a kiss.  She was in love :)

I was supposed to be creating something for this month's Counterfeit Kit blog hop as I am joining in ... but I got side tracked LOL  So I am off to create something inspired by an open air farmers market, pop back on the 24th to see it.

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

Bingo Card Challenge

I am sure that you have realised by now that I didn't get to make a second layout on Thursday evening.  I was planing on it ... however, I fell asleep after I got home and slept right through till morning.  11 hours straight!!!!!  I knew I was tired, but that seems a bit ridiculus!!! (on a side note I did the same thing last night LOL).  So now there is no chance that I will finish all of the challenges in time, but I have completed more than half now so I am very happy.  Not too bad considering that I have worked for the past two weeks without a day off (one of the joys of being self employed LOL) and still have two more to go before I get a day to myself.

On to the challenge ... the bingo cards & butterflies challenge intrigued me.  I have seen so many layouts using bingo cards but I haven't ever used them myself.  Here is my version.  The title reads "LOOK" no hands ...

I think I have my confidence back as I love this one!  It was so much fun to make.  It is hard to tell in the photo but the background Bazzill has been sprayed and splattered (for some reason my internet is playing up and I can't get a good upload of the photo).  The stitching around the edge is a random looking pattern that I found on my machine.  It doesn't look anything like it is supposed to, but it was what I was looking for.  When I was sewing practice strips The Extrovert came in and wanted to know why I was sewing rows on a strap of paper :-)

I have a drawer in my caddy that holds all sorts of sea themed bits that I have been collecting for years.  That little draw got a work out for this layout.  I delved in and grabbed shells, starfish, metal plaques and the pearl strip.  I had great fun dyeing the muslin and building up the layers of scraps of embellishments.  I even had another chance to use the Glimmer Glaze I got for my birthday.  I painted the chipboard scalloped border in the left over paint that I mixed for the background. Then I stuck my finger in the glaze and randomly painted it.  Talk about being back in kindergarten!!!!

The photo is The Thinker at Discovery Cove.  While not technically the beach, they do try to make you feel like you are there.  As he wasn't a confident swimmer at the time, he is wearing a floatation vest.  It was great having all three kids in these for the day as it took a great deal of the stress out of swimming with them.  They even got to enjoy some snorkeling with fish as they floated on the top.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend,
Chipper

Shimelle's Sketch of the Week

When I first saw the sketch for this week I was stumped.  But what threw me wasn't the sketch, but the orange (as it appeared on my screen) on the layout.  Orange is my LEAST favourite colour and everytime I thought about this layout that was all I saw.  So I cleared my mind of the layout and looked just at the sketch.  Here is is ...

I am running out of printed photos so there were very few for me to choose from.  The only ones I could find were all landscape photos so I turned the sketch and started playing.  Here is my version of the sketch ...

Under The Deep Blue Sea

When we were in Florida we spent one day at Discovery Cove.  These photos were taken with a disposable underwater camera.  I love how blue the photos are as they really make me feel like I am under the sea.  After struggling for so long with this sketch because of orange, I think it is very funny that I ended up using orange on this page!  How ironic LOL

All of our photos from Discovery Cove are going to eventually be in one album and most of them have the same teal blue colour in them and these wonderful vinyl thickers by American Crafts.  The paper here is a very old one by Crate Paper (back when they felt like linen).  I had two chipboard hearts that I had painted for another project and didn't use, so I sprayed them some more and stamped the bigger one of the two so that I could use them here.

I added twine, beads and a shell that I found in my stash.  This layout came together quite quickly once I got started and I am really happy with it.  I loved this pool but it was the coldest one in the whole park so we popped in and out of it frequently.  I love to swim and it was very relaxing that day as all three kids wore life vests that helped to stop them sinking.  They were able to snorkel at the surface and still enjoy the thrill of swimming with fish.

There isn't any journalling on this page as I have far too much to say to fit it on this page.  When that happens I like to add a 6x12 page protector into my album and extended my page that way for the story.

Happy Tuesday to you all,
Chipper

Blogging for Scrapbookers Day 2

I am amazed ... day two and I am posting again :-)  It feels like writing in a diary that everyone can read and not  one hidden under the mattress.  I tried writing a diary many times as a kid, but I was easily bored because there wasn't any interaction.  A successful blog on the other hand has lots of interaction, so it is really like a diary for the world to read.

After moving around the world in the past two years I am very behind with my family's scrapbooking.  I have promised the kids that I will complete our Florida album from 2008!  Most of these photos will feature prominently here over the next few months at least.  I am very happy that I wrote about the photos at the time or all of the feelings and excitement of the trip might have been partially lost.  Shimelle makes an interesting point in today's class prompt with the idea that a blog is really like the journaling that we write on our pages.  Even if it is months (or years!) later that we actually scrap the photos, we will still have our feelings from the day already written down for posterity on our blogs.  What an amazing thought!

As today is my day off I actually had the time to 'play' and I made a page to go with my journaling.  I feel inspired already!

While in Florida in 2008 we had the opportunity to feed stingrays at Discovery Cove.  They are amazing creatures with soft, slightly slimey skin and the coolest vacuum mouths.  The Extrovert was facinated by them and kept going back for more bait to feed to them.  While The Princess may be smiling in the photos, that is just an illusion.  She was terrified!

Used Crate Paper 'Blue Hill Collection'

I am trying to use papers from my stash as often as possible and mix them with my newer purchases.  I purchased these papers just before packing up my stash to move around the world.  They then went into storage for almost a year, so it is time to brush the dust off them and start cutting them up!  I sprayed a white Prima flower with Creative Imaginations 'Radiant Rain Teal Zircon' and spilled it all over my hands in the process.  If anyone ever said crafters were neat, they hadn't met ME!



 I could not find a Bazzill colour in my stash that worked for the photo mount so I was originally going with a pale orange.  But when it wasn't working I spied my Tim Holtz 'Distress Crackle Paints'.  It was perfect!  I used Old Paper and then painted on more of the Radiant Rain spray and it was perfect.

The rest of my story is nicely tucked away under the photo for another day, once The Princess has grown up. (It may make an appearance at her 21st birthday!)

This was the first layout that I have completed all on my own in quite a while.  I didn't work from a sketch or find inspiration on anyone's blog.  It took almost all day but I enjoyed every moment of the journey.  It may be a little rough around the edges, but the kids absolutely loved it and that was enough to warm my heart.

I wonder what tomorrow's prompt will bring?

Chipper