kit leftovers, one more layout, and giu winner!

 Happy Monday, everyone! Since I spent all last week using one self-made Counterfeit Kit to make all my Growing in Unity projects, I thought I'd show you what's left. Whenever I make myself kits (Counterfeit or otherwise), I try to start with a color scheme in mind. This time, it started with the crazy bird paper from Basic Grey in the middle of the photo below. While that gave me a range of colors, I stuck primarily with turquoise and yellow, with a few neutrals and such. I only added two sheets of cardstock, but grabbed a few more for backgrounds and cards as needed.

I used cardstock from Bazzill and SU, solid-color paper from Basic Grey Urban Prairie (white, turquoise, yellow), geometric prints from Echo Park Style Essentials (probably the only line still being sold at full price), and patterned paper from Studio Calico Homefront, Basic Grey Lime Rickey, and Melody Ross for GCD.

I didn't follow the original kit list for embellishments precisely, but I did try to limit myself and use fairly old products. Besides what you see below, I also added a few other bits here and there -- ribbon, brads, mist, glitter, etc. Of course, I used a lot of stamps, but you can see more about those in last week's posts.

I used Fabrips, die-cut tags, rub-ons and letter stickers from Studio Calico, stickers, rub-ons, and Thickers from American Crafts, and letter stickers from LilyBee (the newest of all the embellishments).

While I had all my leftovers just sitting there, I felt inspired -- so I grabbed all the small scraps and a couple of the larger ones and threw together a quick layout -- I only trimmed papers if they were longer than my 8.5x11 page, otherwise they just got layered rather willy-nilly along with a few more embellishments. Here's the result:

I've been doing "twelve {photos} on 12{th of the month}" layouts all year -- this is June's. A rather eventful food day, really -- I made both homemade sauerkraut and strawberry jam...picked lavender for drying...and shucked peas to make risotto while I was at it.  How Little House on the Prairie of me (well, maybe not the risotto part, but definitely the pea shucking!). Yum.

A closer shot of the photos (all from instagram -- you can also see my feed over in the sidebar now, by the way) and the journalling if you're inclined to take a gander. Added bonus: my leftover pile is even smaller now! I just might kill the whole thing instead of re-filing it.

Ok, I know some of you are probably here for the big winner. How very patient of you! (Unless you just scrolled to the bottom...but you don't have to tell me that!). Well, without further ado, here's what random.org gave me:

Commenter #37 is Miriam Prantner! Congrats, Miriam -- I'll send your info along to the lovely folks at Unity.

I'll do my best to make my way around all your blogs this week, and I hope you'll return to see what I have for you later this week -- some of my June projects for Scrappy Chic. Until then, enjoy!

giu (x...1?), day five!

Well, hello there! You've made it to the end of my Growing in Unity week, and I've had a lot of fun. I hope you've enjoyed the projects I've shared this week. Today, I have just one project for you, but it's a bit...busier...than some of the others I've shown you. Plus, it features both of our cats, so that should make Linds happy! ;) Don't forget to comment today and on the rest of this week's posts for a chance to win two Unity itty bitties of your very own -- more details on that at the end. Ok, let's go:

Hello, pattern-mixing! I realized I had this sheet of bird-print paper in my Counterfeit Kit (see more in Monday's post), and it's one that I was determined to use, so I made it the background for this page about my cats, who battled each other for the sunniest (and best bird-watching) spot in the house.

I also wanted to try out the DIY Thickers that I've had for awhile -- they're foam Thickers with adhesive on top, allowing you to add whatever you like -- I went with glitter, dunking the bottoms of the letters in one color and the tops in another (gold...like sunshine...right? Sure.) I got the two-tone-dunking idea from a video Shimelle -- or rather, Glitter Girl -- did a bit ago.

And of course, the Unity goodness. I used this summery Simple Stories co-brand set here to finish off my title, and I also used it up in the corner to house my journalling (which you can see in the first photo). I highlighted both images with some stickles, which I also used elsewhere (more sunshine-y goodness).

Well, I guess that's just about it! You have until the end of Sunday (11:59 EST) to leave comments on this week's posts, and sometime Monday I'll use random.org to find our winner. On Monday, I'll also show you my actual Counterfeit Kit...or what's left of it, anyway! So if you've been curious about the products you've been seeing, Monday's your day.

Enjoy your weekend, and go shop for some Unity! They have great sales going on...hint, hint!

giu (x2), day four

Hello once again, and welcome to day 4 of my Growing in Unity week! Be sure to comment all week for a chance to win two of Unity's itty bitty stamps. As it turns out, I used an itty bitty on today's layout -- check it out:

There's a kind of funny story here -- these photos are from early February, when our friend had just started showing...and on the day I scrapped these photos, she had her baby -- how weirdly random is that? (It's a boy, by the way). Anyhow, I was going for  a playful feel here (using the same Counterfeit kit I've been using all week), so I layered up some silly Basic Grey paper with tape, stickers, and of course, stamps!

The stamping is pretty simple this time -- the "good luck" is from an itty bitty from the Echo Park co-brand, while the rainbow (echoing our friend's shirt) is from this Bella Blvd. co-brand set, with a bit of playful (or messy, depending on how you look at it) watercoloring.

Next up, a card with just a little stamping on it:

That fab camera is this Amy Tangerine Silhouette file, with some bits and pieces from my kit, including the same resist cardstock you've seen in other projects.

I did some selective inking to get my sentiment (from this KOM) in just the right place. This is the kind of birthday card I'd like to get...especially if it came with some fun new camera equipment! ;)

All righty then, four down -- one more to go! I hope to see you back here tomorrow, so until then -- enjoy!

giu (x2), day three

Welcome to day three of my Growing in Unity week -- if this is your first visit, be sure to go back to Monday's and Tuesday's posts as well -- remember, commenting all week can help you win a little Unity goodness of your own. :)

Once again, I have two projects for you made with my Counterfeit Kit (read a bit about that in Monday's post). First up, a layout about my awesome dad: 

He hates it when I take pictures of him while he's working, but I just love capturing a bit of his concentration. I used this set for a bit of subtle background stamping, and this itty bitty from Simple Stories for the month up in the corner.

This KOM went to work to make my little label (stamped on a FabRip and almost-successfully punched out). That little man was actually trimmed from a "packed-by" card that came in a Studio Calico order - I thought he was cute!

My journalling fit perfectly on the journalling spot stamp in this KOM. 

Next up, I have a card...but there are a couple of very special things about this particular card. Take a look:

Sure, I used a cute stamp from this KOM for the bees and a retired KOM for the sentiment, but if you look more closely at the lower half you'll see one of the special things -- I just got my very own Silhouette Cameo! This is the first project I've posted here using it...and I think I'm in love :). The honeycomb cut beautifully. Yum. You'll be seeing more projects using it soon.

But the way more special thing about this card is who it is for -- my sweet friend Lindsey over at Bashful Blogging! Happy Birthday, Linds...and sorry your card is gonna be a little late ;). I hope your day is great!

I hope the rest of you enjoy your day as well, and I hope to see you back here tomorrow for a bit more Unity fun!

giu (x2), day two

Welcome back to the blog! For today's Growing in Unity post, I have a goofy layout and a simple card for you. First up, a layout about my goofy boy -- give him a prop and he'll pose! Take a look:

You can read about the "kit" I used to make most of my projects this week in yesterday's post. Today, I used several stamps from this KOM on my layout -- I love the wide (almost random) variety in each kit -- so many options! By the way, I just noticed that this particular set is on sale at the moment -- for super-cheap!

I wanted to add more color to the upper corner of my layout, so I paper-pieced the banners using some scraps, while the glasses are just stamped right on my background. I know lots of scrappers fear stamping right on their layouts, but if you can stamp on a card, you can stamp anywhere -- plus, if you smudge or smear, well, that's what layering is for, right?

I also pieced the little camera for an additional colorful embellishment in the opposite corner. Simple! While I had that particular stamp set out, I made a relatively quick one-layer card:

The diamond background was pretty easy to use as a background (with the help of a stamp positioner). I added clouds from this Bella Blvd. co-brand set to house my sentiment (which, yes, is smudged a little...maybe I'll layer another cloud over it -- problem solved!).

Cute little chicks, ready to celebrate. Hope you've enjoyed today's projects, and be sure to comment today and all week for your chance to win some Unity goodness of your own. Have a great day -- see you tomorrow!

An old wives' tale...

So, as you may have noticed, I know a bunch of people who are having babies :) The other week, I was at a shower for one of them (see her card here), and, as it turns out, one of our friends who was there is ALSO having a baby (no card for her just yet, but it's on my list). Having two expectant mommas at one shower is maybe not too surprising...except that they have the same name. So:

(click to enlarge if you like)

Here we have Jenn (on the left), and Jen (on the right). Left-side Jenn does not yet know what she's having, so she's trying out an old wives' tale on right-side Jen, who is having a boy. You can read about what they're doing here, though their variation uses the wrist instead of the belly. How accurate are the results? I'll be sure to let you know ;)

I used my Counterfeit Kit to make this layout (along with my Scrappy Chic design team kit -- yay!). Here are a couple of fun details:

Punctuated a die-cut border with a whole row of Basic Grey brads. I haven't ever used this many brads at once before!

(other supplies: Sassafras and My Mind's Eye papers, American Crafts velvet trim, Jillibean twine, AC Thickers, Papertrey dies and buttons)

More border punctuation, this time in the form of buttons and Basic Grey Details. The star on the left started as a plain Bazzill chip, which I painted with  an off-white dabber and pink crackle paint. By the way, I really love that grey dot paper from Sassafras -- it's just about the perfect shade of grey for...well, anything, really! Grey has been a go-to color for me for awhile now, in crafting and in clothing. Any go-to colors for you?

Have a delightful day!

Counterfeit Kit(ten) Challenge: June

Hi folks!

After taking a couple of (otherwise busy) months off, I decided to join in for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge for June. They chose a fun kit from a new kit club called Burlap and Buttercups (click the link to see the original kit). I love the spring/summer colors in the challenge kit:

In addition to stuff from my stash, I also wanted to include some goodies from my design team kit from Scrappy Chic -- nothing wrong with a twofer! Here's what I came up with:

New goodies from Sassafras's latest collection, Sunshine Broadcast (part of my DT kit), some of the new Pow! glitter paper from American Crafts (which has a lovely, mess-free texture AND works in electronic die-cutting machines, not that I have one....), and a bunch of other goodies I've been itching to use.

Just what will I be scrapping, you ask? I'll give you one guess....

I'll have a bunch more posts coming up -- I've unintentionally stockpiled a whole bunch of projects (and by "unintentionally," of course I mean "I've been a lazy blogger.").

The kit that won't die...

Hey folks -
Been awhile! Nice combo of busy-ness and mojo-lessness, but I'm not complaining -- plus, the house is cleaner than it's been in months!

Anyway, how about a layout? Even though the "official" deadline for Counterfeit Kit projects for March is quite past, I still have a few more (and still more leftovers I could keep using!). Here's one:

Ah, good times. In case you haven't noticed yet, I kinda like beer -- the good, the snobby, the microbrewed. We earned a free beer tasting at our local watering hole, and of course I scrapped it!

I used mostly the add-ons from my Counterfeit Kit, which you can see here.  I love that Cosmo Cricket paper (Social Club) in the background. Patterned dots make me happy -- it doesn't take much, people!

Also, those thickers might be my new favorite. Closeup time:

(ooh, can you tell these two pictures were taken during completely different weather/lighting conditions? I sure can!)

We invited 8 friends and family members to the tasting, and we chose them based on their love of beer rather than on whether they actually knew each other or not -- a risky venture, but feed and water your friends and they'll have a good time, just like plants! And so we did.

Hope you're having a lovely day, wherever you may be. The blog may be quiet again for a bit, as I'll be in (hopefully) warm and sunny Atlanta. Don't bother robbing my house or anything while I'm gone -- Andrew makes a good guard dog :) If I spy anything particularly crafty, I'll be sure to tell you all about it.

Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop - March!

Hi everyone! Hope you're busily hopping along from blog to blog :) You probably just came from visiting Margie -- if not, feel free to start at the beginning, over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog.

This month's challenge was to scraplift yourself. I admit, I totally have a go-to layout for such occasions, and it sure didn't fail me today. Here you go:

One horizontal photo on top of lots of horizontal strips and embellishments and punched bits and such, with a title to the left. It ain't complicated, but I like it, mainly because it looks different every time. In this case, of course, I used lots of goodies from my Counterfeit Kit, especially the main kit. You can see my kit photos here, and other projects I've done this month at the kit post, as well as here, here, and here. 

I especially like the way the title came out: 

Squeeze, indeed! I also like how the arrow points at my Uncle Mike, who didn't quite make it back in the shot before the camera timer went off -- oops! We took this family photo while camping up in Benzonia, MI last August (which I also scrapped about here, just in case you're curious and/or want to see my fam in a different set of matching shirts!)

Here are the layouts I lifted this design from:

There's more about the "Super Classy layout," featuring my quite-young Dad, here. You can read all about more goofy family members (and their mustachio'd layout) here.

So there you have it -- successful self-scraplift! I'd love to hear your go-to tricks for making stuff in a hurry.

Hop along now, and go see what Lesa has to offer. Have a delightful day!

The tree to my apple....

Well, let's just say I'm happy it's Friday! Are you?

How about a layout to celebrate? Before you take a peek, remember this: when my mom and I happen to meet someone for the first time, we often get a bit of a double take. Wanna know why? Ok, here you go:

Ok, so the photo isn't the best -- it's an old one of my mom in her early or mid-twenties, and it definitely has that 70s glow to it -- but yeah, we kind of look alike ;)  Hence the title of my layout, which is the first I've done involving a rebus, as far as I can tell!

I am definitely one apple that's pretty dang close to the tree. I used some of my favorite bits from this month's Counterfeit Kit here, including that tree-print and apple-print paper (both Studio Calico), and some fairly new Thickers, which came nekkid but which I inked up a bit for contrast. I also finally made myself use a Kaisercraft doily that I've been hoarding :)

The tree is paper-pieced (drew the tree top freehand, even), and both it and the apple in the title have a little extra flair:

Crackle Accents to the rescue. I'd forgotten my bottle in a drawer somewhere, and now I remember how much I love it!

So, I'm totally turning into a Counterfeit Kit Challenge nerd -- this month, I printed out my kit photos (see link above), and I've been checking off items as I use them! NERD! But, between this and a couple more projects you've yet to see, I have used and/or used up about 85% of the items in the kit. Score!

I'll be back for the Counterfeit blog hop on the 28th -- the challenge was to scraplift myself...which I do all the time anyway, so that wasn't too hard.

Hope you have a great weekend, and I'll blog at you soon!

It's almost here!

Spring, that is -- last I heard, the "official" start of spring is at 7:21 this evening (local time -- Eastern Standard, that is). Hooray! Spring is my second-favorite season, but this year it just might be #1, since winter was so dang long and cold and snowy!

Well, until spring is really here, how about a nice, warm layout? Ok, here you go:

It might be a little grey out today (sorry the photo is a little grey, too) -- but these photos were from a beautifully warm day, and a delightful little restaurant in Detroit called Le Petit Zinc. I was there with friends from work -- last summer, the three of us went on several outings geared toward being tourists right at home -- this little lunch followed a shopping trip to the nearby John K. King (huge-a-mungous) used bookstore. What a lovely day. If you're local or planning a visit, be sure to hit both!

I used my Counterfeit Kit to make this layout -- mostly from the main kit, and a few goodies from the add-ons.  How about a detail shot or two? If you insist:

I misted my bg paper a bit with some reddish and yellowish colors before building my page on top. I just love these Sassafras alphas -- perfect font, excellent value, and every color/pattern is just yummy.

I took a little extra time concocting this cluster -- there are die-cut, real, and chipboard buttons (and none are threaded -- my patience only goes so far sometimes!), punched and fussy-cut bits, label stickers and even a bit of bling. I can't say I thought too hard about the assembly, though -- I find if I just start sticking, it all turns out fine in the end, but if I over-think every move, well...it just looks over-thought!

Well, I hope this brings a little sunshine to your first day of spring. Have a lovely day!

Tuesday Trigger Time!

Oh my, I haven't managed to play along with the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World in ages! This week's is particularly inspiring for me -- here it is:

The distressed paint, the clustered bouquet, and especially that echeveria right smack in the middle of all those girly flowers -- just lovely! Appeals to my gardener side as well as my crafter side!

Here's what I came up with:

I was especially inspired by the colors of the echeveria as well as the tight cluster of flowers. I used a die-cut sheet from American Crafts layered over my card, which was then layered with lots and lots and lots of die-cut flowers all clustered together -- as an added bonus, I used the Flower Fusion die from Stampin' Up, which has been languishing unloved for quite some time :)  All the supplies here besides the die came from my Counterfeit Kit for March. You can check out the whole challenge here. Let's take a closer look:

I'd like to say there was some rhyme or reason to the way I made and layered the flowers, but here's what I actually did: die-cut a nice little pile, then squished them all up into a ball, then un-squished them, and then adhered them somewhat randomly, adding pearls here and there. I trimmed the overhang on the left and bottom, but not on the right...because that's more "carefree," don't you think? 

Finally, I'd like to thank my talented friend Emily for sending me that awesome new watermark, which was created by Kasia -- also a very talented crafter! I love skating, and I'm in training to be a roller derby NSO (that's non-skating official) for a new start-up league nearby, and Kasia's a derby girl from Calgary! It's a small crafting world, after all :) Thanks again, both of you!

Have an absolutely delightful Friday, and if you haven't already, be sure to check out this post -- there's a giveaway open until Saturday night!!

Supplies: cardstock -- pti, american crafts. papers - cosmo cricket, studio calico. sentiment sticker - my mind's eye. pearls, die - su. 

It's Counterfeit Time!

Time for a new Counterfeit Kit Challenge, that is! I was so super-excited to see that this month's challenge is to counterfeit Studio Calico's latest release! I just love their stuff anyway, and I have purchased a couple kits in the past, so it was extra-fun to save some dough and counterfeit one instead!

Here's the actual main kit, Into the Woods (which sold out in, oh five hours or so...):

And here's my take:

I had plenty of papers to choose from for reasonable facsimilies, including some older Studio Calico stuff I already had. I also broke out an older Papertrey Ink stamp set to replace the cute bee stamp in the kit.

I could have stopped there, but I decided to replicate some add-on kits as well....Here's Babbling Brook

And here's my version:

Admittedly, I lucked out here: I actually won a Social Club crafting kit from Cosmo Cricket, so I have some of the actual papers from the add-on (haven't seen them in stores yet). They're the top-right and bottom-left choices.

There are three other add-ons available (or formerly available) from Studio Calico -- I won't show all three photos, but I took bits and pieces from each and came up with one more of my own:

Gives me a chance to use some of my new Stella & Rose goodies (the original kits use the 12x12, but I have the 6x6 instead), as well as a combo of newer and older goodies from the stash.

Will I use it all up? Probably not. But I gotta say, I'm really inspired to make stuff with these kits! In fact, I already made one project! Here:

Yes, those are photos of our cat with a Justin Bieber hairdo. No, we did not invest in a cat wig ;) It's part of Jimmy Fallon's iPhone app (LNJF) called "Bieber Yourself." How could we resist? Most of the goodies on this layout came from my main kit, with a few elements from the add-on. And yes, I used my bee stamps. Bieber=bee-ber. I crack myself up.

Anyway, happy counterfeiting to you all! I'll be back in the studio today...who knows what's next?

Oh, and be sure to stop by again tomorrow -- I'll be celebrating a blog birthday, and there just might be a little giveaway!

Have a delightful day!

Counterfeit Blog Hop!

Hey all!

Maybe you're just stopping by because, well, that's what you do -- but chances are, you're here because it's time for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog hop! Hooray! Here's the sketch we are working with this month:

Pretty, no? For my layout, I kept pretty close to the original sketch, and I went all purple on it. Take a look, and click on any image you'd like to see in more detail:

Ok, so I know it's a pretty girly layout, but I couldn't resist using that picture of my cutie-pie hubby anyway :).  I also got to use several kit items I've been hoarding, including a die-cut felt frame and some Tattered Angels crepe paper (which is all misted up). I also got to use some fun Prima goodies -- flowers and pebbles. Here's a closeup:

Flowers are, for whatever reason, really hard for me to use -- but I like these!  Oh, and the title took two tries. Here it was at first:

Nice, but totally blends into the background. So I took my signo gel pen to it:

Much better, no? Totally legible.

If you'd like to see my original kit, click here. If you'd like to see the other two layouts I've already made using it, click here. I still have leftovers...but I'm definitely looking forward to the next counterfeit kit, which will be revealed on the 5th!

I'd love to hear what you think, and I can't wait for next month's hop! Speaking of which, get hoppin' -- go see (another) Angela at Mad for Paper!

Hope to see you soon -- have a great day!