Last LO with November Kit

I think I'm about done with my November Counterfeit Kit!  Here's my final page before I say "Sayonara!"

I'm not sure I'm really loving this page.  There's a lot going on, but maybe that's what makes it fun - at least, that's what I'm gonna tell myself!  Here's a close-up of the journaling and some elements I cut with my Cameo:

It's so weird to look at our family without Brenna present.  She wasn't even a gleam in my eye at that point in time!  

Here's the sketch I used:

It's a Page Maps sketch from S.W.A.T. Drill #20, but alas I was too late to take part in the challenge!  Maybe next month.

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Sketchabilities #103 - IRL

So, I've been blogging for quite a while now, and one of the things I love the most about blogging is the friends I've made!  Alison is one of those friends, and I was fortunate enough to meet her "in real life" last year:

I used my November Counterfeit Kit and this fabulous sketch from Sketchabilities:

I really love how this page turned out, and the fact that it documents such a special meeting is just icing on the cake!  Here's a close-up of some of the elements:

A butterfly and feathers cut with my Cameo.  And here's another butterfly with a border also cut with the Cameo:  

I'm not sure if the texture really shows up here, but I made the bricks with a stencil, some glimmer mist painted on, and then some texture paste and ink using the same stencil.  It looks really cool up close!

Well, I guess that's it for now.  Better get this posted before the linky closes!

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"Lest We Forget"

Here's a page I made with my November Counterfeit Kit, to commemorate Remembrance Day:

What do you think?  Is it a mixed media mess, or does it work?  I have to admit, I cheated a bit with my products - not everything was from my kit (oops!)  The stamp sets, Dylusions, and gesso were not in my original kit, but I just HAD to have that poppy!!!  Here's a close-up of that detail:

I whitewashed a section of the kraft background with gesso, then stamped and embossed the poppy with clear powder, and sprayed over top with Postbox Red.  Note to anyone going to try this technique - gesso makes Dylusions more pastel!  It turned out to be a light red, almost pink!

Here's the sketch I used, from My Scraps and More:

I flipped it upside down!  

I can't believe these photos were taken 2 years ago, already!  Ailis looks so tiny!!!

Thanks for looking, and I'll see you next time!

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"SMILE" for My Scraps & More

New layout!  Woohoo, I must be on a roll!  

 Hmm, I like this one.  I think.  So here's what I did.  First, I used a great sketch from My Scraps & More:

Then I painted a little spot in the background for the photos to rest on.  I really wanted a white background, and I really wanted white polaroid frames, but together, they were just not going well together.  So, mix a bit of acid green with a bit of white and paint through a Donna Downey stencil, and there you have a nice photo mat.  

The polaroid frames and leaves were cut with my Cameo, and for flowers, I decided to mix and match - paper ones mixed with crocheted ones (I made the latter myself!).  All the papers are Simple Stories.

Some close-ups:  

Now I must get back to working with my Counterfeit Kit - ta ta for now!

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New Card with My Counterfeit Kit

This card is surprisingly simple, but I think I like how it turned out!  I used some leftover MME papers from my Counterfeit Kit.  The vintage book paper is also from the kit.  I cut some layered shapes with my Cameo, inked the edges of everything, stamped a little sentiment, added some pearls (stamp set and pearls are CTMH) and voila!  Completed card!

I used this sketch from Scrapbooker's Paradise blog:

I also want to link up to:
Use Your Stuff #109 - Use limited supplies.  I used only items from my kit!
JUGS #214 - background of words.  That's my vintage paper.

Thanks for looking!!!

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Let's Get Sketchy with my Counterfeit Kit

Here's the first of (hopefully) many projects completed with my November Counterfeit Kit!

I really like how this page turned out!  I cut some elements with my Cameo - the feathers and leaf card, and managed to use up some of that embellishment kit I've been hoarding for ages - the book paper and this tag:

The journaling was the hardest part for me.  Jason's mom has dementia, and we're noticing it not just in how she acts but in how she looks, too.  The kids are very freaked out about it, so I wanted to make them a page to let them know how even though she's changing, she's still very happy (at least, when we're around!).

Here's the sketch I used from Let's Get Sketchy:

Nice, huh?  I'll leave it at that for now, but stay tuned for a card I've got in the works using some of the leftover papers.

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Bunch of stuff to post tonight...

...for your viewing pleasure!  Here is a layout I just finished:

The colours were taken from Ailis's pajamas, but I had also just downloaded a bunch of digital freebies for Digital Scrapbook Day.  Here is a close up of one, the leaf:

The tag I made myself by stamping with Tuxedo Memento ink, applying texture paste over a stencil, and then spraying with three different colours of Dylusions ink.

Here's another close up of my bottom embellishment cluster:

This includes a smaller version of the leaf and another digi.

I posted this SMASH book page on Instagram, and have received a lot of love over it.  Gotta say it's one of my favourite pages to date.  It includes some more fussy cut digital elements and some elements cut with my Cameo (title and arrows):

And finally, my last project.  It went out in the mail today to my friend Jill, who turns 38 tomorrow.  Yeah, yeah, I know it'll be late, but it's the thought that counts, right?

This card was inspired by one I pinned the other day by Nicole Nowosad.  You can see it here.  

And that's it for now.  I've been working hard on another layout tonight, so I should be able to post it tomorrow or the next day, depending on how badly my husband milks his whole sickness thing.  He's such a baby!

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November Counterfeit Kit

Hey, folks, just a quick post tonight to show you my counterfeit kit I made for November.  It's been ages since I played along with this fantastic blog, and I'm hoping that by creating my kit and committing to working with it this month, I will actually get some projects finished!

Here's the main kit from Jenni Bowlin I decided to counterfeit:

And here's a little image I made up on picmonkey.com to show my kit - such a fun site, try it out if you haven't already!

So I'll quickly describe what I have here.  As for papers, I've got a few sheets of cardstock and two partial sheets of Echo Park journaling cards.  In the front row I've got all my patterned papers, the four on the left from MME, a textured paper that feels like a basketball, a stripe from Simple Stories, and the last from Echo Park.  On the left are my embellishments.  I've pulled two sets of alphas (Thickers and collage typewriter letters), pre-cut arrows and a pie chart in cream cardstock that I can ink to match whatever I want, chipboard packages, some embellishment kits I won a while back, an owl stamp set from CTMH, some prima flowers, border stickers, and some digital elements I downloaded for free, printed and fussy cut.  Some of these I got from Wishing Well Creations, and some I got from  Meredith Cardall - both were offering freebies for Digital Scrapbook Day, so I'm not sure that they're still available.

And that's it!  Hope you like my kit, and I hope I get to use it this month!  Right now I'm dealing with major meltdowns from a serious video game addict going with withdrawal.  Deep breath, Roxy, deep breath!

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S & D

Here's a super bright layout of my parents I finished a couple of days ago:

Aren't they sweet?  I love this picture, I think it's so cute!  I didn't know what to put for a title, so I ended up   just putting a tag sticker and their monograms:

I messed up the inking on the 'D', but it turned out okay because it gave me the opportunity to make this little flower and button cluster to cover it up.  Here's the sketch I followed from Let's Get Sketchy:

And if you guessed that I missed the deadline, you would be correct!  Argh, one day I'll get my stuff together in time to enter a challenge - it just might not be anytime soon.  Happy Monday to you, and I hope you (and I!) get some crafty time this week - thanks for looking! 

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So Crazy About You

Note to self (and anyone else who cares to heed this advice):  if you need to get a mole frozen off your face, especially a prominent part of your face i.e. your nose, do NOT get the procedure done on a Monday when you still have to go to work all week!  Can we say, "Embarrassing!"  Tuesday I tried covering up the damage with makeup, Wednesday I just slapped a big ol' band aid on the thing, Thursday I tried the makeup thing again and ended up buying some tiny, discreet band aids, and kept the mess covered until today, now that it's pretty much healed.  Whew!  And after all that, only two people asked what had happened, but I know everyone was staring at me funny all week, I could feel it!

Anyway, I did manage to finish this Hunter layout, so the week wasn't a complete loss!  What do you think? I think I'm loving it!!!  The pleated burlap is something new, and it wasn't sticking exactly, so that's why I added some brads as a design element (see, there IS a method to my madness!).  Here's a close-up of that, and the journaling:

 And another of his puppy face:

Of course I used a sketch, but alas I missed the deadline!  Is this the trend for the summer?  I sure hope not! Anyway, this sketch is from Let's Get Sketchy:

I think all the papers and stickers I used are from Echo Park's "Note to Self" collection.  (See how I tied that in to my intro?  You'd almost think it was deliberate!)  The burlap and brads are from Close to My Heart.  And that's about all I can say about that!

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My First Sketches In Thyme Reveal!

This was such a fun layout to make!  Check out this cool double-page sketch from Sketches in Thyme:

I decided to scrap with these photos from last summer that I had printed a while ago, and stuck with the sketch pretty closely:

I used some great new papers from Simple Stories, 24/7 - love these, they're so bright and cheery!  I cut up one of the strips to use as the title, and I cut out a journaling card to use in the bigger photo spot.  The polaroid frames were cut using my Cameo on plain cream cardstock, then I inked them red to make them pop!

A bit of mist in the corners (Dylusions Postbox Red) and some stickers, ribbon, and washi tape finish off the design!

Funny how I can make it sound like I just whipped this layout up in 10 minutes, but honestly, it was sitting out on my kitchen bar for about two weeks!  Well, I do hope you'll join in with this sketch challenge, but there are some other great sketches at Sketches in Thyme this month, too - linking up for any of them will get you in our draw.  Good luck!

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Happy Anniversary to Me (and Jason, too)!

Whew, I've been pretty busy these days, what with the move and coaching soccer (yeah, somehow ended up as a volunteer coach for Ailis's team, even though I still don't know anything about the sport and probably didn't need more on my plate.  What we do for our kids!) then wound up with a wicked head cold on my anniversary.  Even now, almost a week later, I'm still sniffling and coughing, it's just not going away! 

I almost didn't post this card because it is such a blatant steal from Tara, but since I'm giving her credit and I'm directing you to her tutorial at Ranger, I figure it's okay.  Hey, you know what they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!  Also, I really wanted to show you what my wonderful husband got me for an anniversary gift:

If you can't tell, it's an Ott light!!!  After 14 years, the man knows me well!  So excited to be able to see properly while I'm crafting!

And, I wanted to show off my new house.  I'll probably post more pictures in the future (it's pretty messy right now!) but here's some of it, starting with my little office/scrap space under the stairs:

Check out the log staircase!  And that thing to the left that looks like a tree trunk?  It's a real tree!  (Or it was a real tree, seeing as it's not actually alive, but it goes all the way up to the ceiling where the branches come out the top.)

Here's Ailis and Brenna playing by the kitchen bar.  What do you think of these bar stools?

I love 'em!!!  They are tractor seats mounted on logs with horse shoes for foot rests!  The middle one is pretty comfy, it has an extra big bum cup, just perfect for me!  I think I'll be doing most of my scrapping there because I like the length of the bar.

Well, that's it for me!  I'm going to make me some Neo-Citron - gottta love that stuff, I think I might be addicted!  Thanks for looking!

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Last Stamp of the Month for Creative Accents!

Well, I don't know if you're going to believe this, but our Seriously Creative Design Team is all a-flutter right now over the long distance romance going on between our fearless leader, Tara, and her now-fiance!  It is soooooo romantic, a real life fairy tale!  Anyway, long story short, Tara is getting married this summer and moving to the U.S. of A. and thus, Creative Accents will be closing (or selling, fingers crossed!)  Which brings me to the title of this post - no more SOTM club, sniff!  Tara has been running the SOTM club for a long while (over 10 years, I believe!) and I am honoured to be working with this last stamp, a beautiful poppy image from Magenta, a leading Canadian stamp manufacturer.  Here's what I came up with:  

First up, a card using a sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch!  I used a pencil eraser and 5 different colours of ink to make the background.  The other main piece was cut with my Cameo, and brayered with 3 different colours.  I thought it needed a black outline to make it pop, and although I probably could have used an ink pad, I decided to go with a Faber Castell gelato.  The "MANY THANKS" banner was also cut on the Cameo.  The sketch:

Here's my other card, featuring some beautiful new Glitz Designs paper:

At first I thought this one looked too busy, but now, seeing it on my screen, it's kind of growing on me!  Here's the sketch I used from Retro Sketches:

Hope all you moms had a lovely Mother's Day.  Mine was...interesting, let's say!  But hey, at least I got some crafty time in!  TTFN, and thanks for looking, Roxy.

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Something Exciting!

I'm just taking a short break from packing to let you in on some big news!  Remember when I posted this page in response to a DT call for Sketches in Thyme?

Well, you are looking at  (virtually, of course!) one of the newest Sketches in Thyme Mavens!!!  I am through the roof thrilled to be joining this great team of ladies, and I hope that EVERYONE gets a chance to join in on one of May's upcoming sketches!  If you haven't ever seen the SiT orange and yellow sketches, why don't you pop on over there now?

I am off to pack up my scrapping supplies (booooo!) and trying to figure out what I need to keep super handy so I don't miss too much crafty time.  Hopefully I will be able to post something within the next week or so, along with some pictures of our NEW HOUSE!!!  (Here's where you have to picture me jumping up and down and "shaking my booty", as Brenna calls it!)

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Today, Here, Now

My latest layout:

 I'll try to make this post short 'n' sweet because the subject of this page should be waking up soon, and she's been a real beast lately!  Hard to tell from the photos, but yeah, we're having issues of the toileting kind - need I say more?  Prob'ly not!

This month's Seriously Creative Challenge is a great one, and easy, too:

Create a "clean" project or one that cleans out your stash, and link up by May 6 to be in our draw for a fabulous prize!  I'm happy to say that aside from the white cardstock base, everything on my layout is a scrap!  The pink paper used on the butterflies is probably 8 or 9 years old - scary, huh?  Here are some more details:

The butterflies were great fun!  I used a Martha Stewart punch given to me by my scrappy friend Alison, layered 3 butterflies of different colours and just attached them to each other with a bit of skinny Sook Wang tape.  I was planning to use the pink twine for all of the bodies, but ran out, so I dug further into my stash for some yellow fibers.  They kind of look like furry caterpillar bodies, I think!  Another close-up:

I used this fabulous sketch from Stuck?! Sketches:

Flipped 90 degrees and doctored up a bit.  And I'm also going to enter this page over at S.W.A.T. - one of their challenges is to dig deep into your stash!  What an awesome way to do some Spring Cleaning!!!

;

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