A Page for March

Hello again!

Did anyone else have a problem with March?? It was a very strange month for me. I started out great in January - I was very inspired by the idea of a fresh start, I set myself some new crafty goals, and decided to try out some new things. Things were going well, and in February I felt like the inspiration just kept rolling in. I was really productive and I just couldn't get enough of playing with my crafty supplies. Then all of a sudden - BAM! - March 1st rolled in and my inspiration and crafty mojo completely abandoned me! I didn't even want to be anywhere near my craft room or paper supplies. What the heck?!? I got a little knitting done last month, but that was the grand total of my crafty productivity (I didn't even actually make anything, I just made a swatch to practice some skills =P). From what I saw on Instagram and a few other crafters' blogs, I wasn't the only one. Apparently March Mojo Madness is a thing, and by that I mean the madness that comes from having no crafty mojo! =D (Maybe I should rename it March Mojo Misery??)

Anywho, this was one of those times where the goals I set at the beginning of the year really came in handy. Even though I was completely uninspired, at the end of the month I realized I needed to do at least one scrapbook page to keep up with my goal of one page per month. (I don't really care that much WHEN the pages get done, as long as I have at least 12 at the end of the year, but I didn't want to fall "behind" this early in the year.) So I FORCED myself to my desk and started looking through some photos. Once I got started again, I could feel the mojo starting to come back. Giving myself that goal to be accountable for was a great motivator to get me back in the craft room again.

My inspiration came from this photo of myself and my cousin's daughter from this last Thanksgiving. My cousin and I joke that she is my "spirit daughter" because, even though she isn't my daughter, her personality is so much like mine that sometimes it seems like she could be. When we took this photo I knew I would want to make a page about this connection we seem to have.

I used my February counterfeit kit to make this page. I started out by making a grid of patterns on my background using some of the plain Project Life cards as well as some papers from the 6x6 pad that I cut to size. Then, feeling emboldened by my sewing success on this card, I broke out the sewing machine again to sew down the cards and add a little detail to the grid. I placed the photo on a plain white mat to make sure it would stand out on top of all that pattern and color, and then I made a tag for my journaling so I could hide it behind the photo. 

I wanted this page to reflect me offering her encouragement both now and as she grows up. Having lived as me for over 35 years, I know that being like me can be rough sometimes, and I don't ever want her to forget how awesome she is. These phrase stickers from Tim Holtz were perfect to show a little of this on the layout (it's also in my hidden journaling). I especially love this longer one I was able to fit below the photo, almost like a caption. =) 

Some close ups of the other sentiments on the page...as well as the pinwheel embellishments I got to make with the pinwheel punch! I'm so glad I had this punch in the kit. These were just perfect for this page. =) 

This title was pretty fun too. I used the white Thickers I already had in my kit, but I wanted a script-like font for the other half of the title, and I didn't have anything like that in my kit. I found some DIY Thickers in my stash....do they still make these?? Basically they have adhesive on the top and bottom, so you can add glitter or micro beads to the top in any color you want. But I had a eureka moment when I realized I could probably use foil with them! I tried it on a random symbol sticker I was probably never going to use and it worked! I had to stick down the title letters first and then add the foil because they are quite delicate once the foil is added, but I loved the final result. =) 

One last close up of my sewing because I still can't believe I did that much of it and didn't screw up ONCE. =P  (Now I've completely jinxed myself for next time.) Also this floral pattern is adorable. =)

Thanks so much for looking!  

*~M~*

New Month, New Kit

Hello all!

I'm back, after a month's hiatus, with a new counterfeit kit for April. I'm pretty excited about this kit so let's get right into it. Here's the inspiration kit for this month:

There are a handful of add-on kits and even a mixed media kit for inspiration as well which are visible on the Counterfeit Kit challenge blog. 

With the black, butterflies and vintage elements, this kit immediately reminded me of the Curio collection from Basic Grey that I've had in my stash, virtually untouched, for so many years I've lost count. I decided that for my kit papers this month I would use the whole collection and build the embellishments around that. Here's a sampling of some of my favorites from Curio:

Most of the papers have a black border around the edge, which is part of why the inspiration kit reminded me so much of these. I didn't add them to my kit, but I'm sure I will probably be pulling out some plain cardstock, most likely cream or kraft, for my pages since many of these patterns are pretty busy. 

For my embellishments I started by pulling out what little Curio embellishments I had, which are the buttons and die cut pack shown here, as well as a large sticker sheet and some dimensional stickers I have in another photo. I also already had the gold letter stickers featured in the mixed media kit, so I pulled those out along with some wood grain letters in the same style. Then I just sort of grabbed everything I could find that had butterflies, black, or some vintage elements to them, like the tiles, doilies and journaling cards. I threw in the flowers because the inspiration kits had lots, and grabbed a coordinating pack of plain Project Life cards because I really liked having those in my kit last time. The wood veneer birds I threw in for added texture and because birds are a feature of the Curio collection. 

I've also really enjoyed having 6x6 pads to work with in my kits. I think I've gotten more use out of them this way than in my card-making! This month I grabbed two: the MME one has a very similar style to the Curio papers, and I thought the cream and white papers in the White Fern stack would be nice to have for contrast. 

Last, but certainly not least, are the letter and sticker sheets. The large sheets came with the Curio paper pack, so naturally I threw those in. I also found a sheet of kraft circle labels I thought I might as well include in case they came in handy, as well as a sheet of vintage book paper. Two sets of Thickers and the dimensional sticker sheet round out the kit. 

I have to admit I am really excited about all the beautiful things in this kit, but I'm also slightly intimidated because the style of the kit is a little outside my comfort zone. I worry I won't be able to find photos that I feel fit this kit. I will have to embrace this challenge! Since I skipped last month this is my third counterfeit kit and I am really enjoying the process of kitting my own supplies, and I love crafting with the kits as well. Later this week I will have a page to share with you I made using February's kit, and there should be a page using this kit soon! =) 

Thanks so much for looking!

*~M~*