Beauty is everywhere - punch challenge

When the Counterfeit Kit ladies said to use punches for out latest challenge I was a bit stuck at first. I love my punches ( see this page as proof) and use them all the time - so what could I do that I hadn't already tried?

Then I remembered a page that I had pinned ages ago that had a cool technique that I wanted to try - you can see the original page over at Basic Grey . It's by the talented Leeann Pearce and it's a really simple idea using a circle punch but I love the look of it. Here's my version - it's a bit more subdued than Leeann's original. I wanted to add some bits and bobs into my shapes but it looked too cluttered - so I went for a simpler look (I know - that's not like me!)

You can create this look with just a circle punch - punch a circle, fold over the edges and add it on top of another circle. I also used a square punch as a folding template as it makes getting even sides easier and you can remove it and use it on the next circle. To get the mix of patterns I wanted I punched the squares and left them in place on some of the shapes - useful for single sided papers too.

I added some smaller circles at the top and bottom of the page to get a tone on tone look - but next time I won't be inking the edges - at least, not until I buy a new grey ink pad that matches the cardstock instead of the brown one I used (doh) - live and learn ....

If you want more inspiration on how to use that circle punch have a look at this fab page over at Studio Calico by a lady called Heathyr from their gallery (unfortunately I can't find her to link to a blog if she has one). I love everything about this page - photo, title and all the stitching and variety!

Another great way to use a circle punch can be found over at Ronda Palazzari's blog - she has another really cool page here that uses circles covered with offset vellum circles that gives a wonderful quilted look.  I love that such a simple tool can be used to get so many different looks :)

Thanks for popping by .....

Click!

Just a quick post from me - I've had a vile 'flu bug and have done no scrapping - so I thought that I could at least post the page I did right at the beginning of the month with my March Counterfeit Kit. Another one from my brother's visit last summer (they MUST be at an end soon!) - and I had to add in the camera image from my stash as it seemed fitting.

I used some of the ancient green rub ons and punchinella to add layers. You may also spot my glitter splats (well, ok, glitter flicks!) - notable because they are a first attempt and use some royal blue glitter that has sat in my stash way too long. If you want to see better glitter splats see Lisa' blog for some great examples or pop over to Rahel Menig  at Swiss Girl Designs to see her glitter splatter video.

I painted the wooden butterfly with blue metallic paint and added glitter to that too and snuck in a bit of denim behind the camera image. The words tell of my brother's love of photography - and how he turned the spare room in our Dad's house into a dark room, complete with silver foil taped over the window facing the street - bet our neighbours loved us! 

Hopefully I'll be back with something else soon - thanks for popping in .....

Counterfeit Kit - March Kit Blog Hop

It's that time again - a new kit to copy is up on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog and we are showing our takes on it in the hope that you'll be inspired to make your own kit and join in. If you've missed some of the beautiful kits on the hop make sure that you see the bottom of this post for all the links :)

This month the kit to copy comes from the Birds of a Feather Kit Co (original kit can be found here). I have to admit that at first I wasn't feeling that inspired by the colours - but once I started pulling out possible papers I loved how it turned out.  My take is more turquoise/teal than denim and not a chevron in sight - though there's a herringbone pattern on one of the B sides. I've used a couple of woodgrain papers and I added in a bit of grey to finish it off. I love the colours here and some are double sided so I'm hoping that there's a little bit more variety in colour if I want it.

Top L to R - Glitz, My Mind's Eye, Glitz, QVC Oriental (Colorbok?), Glitz x 2, Crate, Brenda Pinnick and My Mind's Eye

Bottom L to R - My Mind's Eye, Cosmo Cricket, Lily Bee, Brenda Pinnick, K & Co?, Glitz, Crate, Unknown and Studio Calico

For the embellishments I've added in two part used rub-on packs - one very old and one new-ish. These with the handful of labels and word stickers are my take on the sticker sheet in the original. Then ribbons, gems and Accent Beads (10p a pack in the sale a couple of months back!) and some wooden butterflies and birds. To replace the paper roses I grabbed a selection of paper, punched out and felt flowers - so this lot seemed quite close to the original kit, but  ...

... then I added a few of all the bits and bobs that I like to use in the same colours!  I felt that the original kit wouldn't give me enough variety so I added in some bits that I always reach for or want to use up. This way the selection process is already done and hopefully they'll be easier to use - well that's the theory! I've also added (though not photo'd) a piece of denim and the remains of the white corrugated card that I had in my last kit.

I hope that you'll join in and make your own kit - it's a great way to use what you have and make it look new again and it can be as big or as small as you want.  Now hop on over to the lovely Jen's blog for another take on the kit - thanks for dropping in  ...

Here's the full list of lovelies if you get lost -

Guest Designer: Mary Buttons  http://craftycreation.blogspot.com/

Crystal  http://crystalscraftycreations.blogspot.com/

Glinda  http://razzledscrapper.blogspot.com/

Helen  http://craftimperfect.blogspot.com/       <<<<< YOU ARE HERE!

Jen  http://mypair-a-dice.blogspot.com/

Julie Ann  http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com/

Lisa  http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com/

Margie   http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com/

Milissa  http://millermall.blogspot.com/

Bethany  http://inspiredscrapper-bethany.blogspot.com/

Meridy  http://www.meridy77.blogspot.com/

CKC colouring challenge - Oh, the places you'll go

The final challenge this month over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog was to do some colouring - with pens, pencils, watercolours - well anything you like really.

I took my inspiration from the My Mind's Eye Funday embellishments that were in the original You and Me kit from Scrapbook Circle. I fished out some kraft cardstock and my watercolour pencils and got doodling with a Sharpie. The pencils are used just like ordinary pencils and then you can brush on water and it gives a watercolour like effect. - which sort of reminded me of the look of some of the Funday embellishments. My balloons look a bit wibbly - but  it is meant to be doodling (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

I cut out my elements and added them to a white cardstock background - I'd originally planned on using kraft but there wasn't enough contrast for my liking. I added a little bit of white acrylic paint to highlight in places as my white pencil looked more like grey on the the kraft.

I've kept the page really simple as there's plenty going on with the embellishments - I just used one patterned paper, some metallic paint and some doodling around the edges. I obviously pinched the title from Dr Seuss as the cartoony elements and the photos gave me that vibe - after all, balloon shoes (well, technically slippers) could take you anywhere ...

Thanks for popping in  ...

Parking

I love that Patrick can't help but play when he gets to a park - and can laugh if he makes a fool of himself . These are more old photos from 2005 on Steve's last visit. I'm hoping that as the colours are quite strong  on these papers that I can get away with the flowers and the doily on what is really a man's page. Looking at it now, it does look as if Patrick is about to zoom right into the flowers, doesn't it?  I think I've missed a trick here - maybe I should've got a Tarzan reference in there somehow - remember  Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan crying out Ahhhh - Ahhhhh? A jungle theme would have been definitely more macho than roses ...

For the second month of the challenges over at SJ Crafts they asked for flowers and to include red or pink so this is what I came up with. The sketch I used was another one from Sketch Savvy

I didn't have a full sheet of the Echo Park paper left so I stretched it by cutting it up and adding the pieces to the edges. I cut out some of the flowers from the bit I removed and layered them over the border strips. The gems and 1 of the pins were additions from my stash but the rest is using my February Counterfeit Kit.

Thanks for popping in ...

The Need for Speed

Over at Sarah's Cards the challenge this month was to do a film inspired page and as I have been scrapping the photos from my brother's visit last summer this page was what I came up with. I was thinking more along the lines of Keanu Reeves (as you do) rather than the quote from Top Gun when I did the title! The photos are not about runaway buses or fancy planes but the much slower electric cars at a farm park - they did have really cool sound effects though and Ellie and John both had to keep on having another go - again and again and again :)

The alphas I used for the title were painted with black acrylic to help them look like the tyres and the camera icon is for that all important photo finish. I'm still using my February Counterfeit Kit - no surprise there then!

I made a winner's rosette and used another of Lisa's flags to continue the race theme. and added a diecut and some punched flowers.

I'm glad I got these in the album - they make me smile as because they enjoyed those really slow little cars so much - thanks for dropping by ....

CKC Doily challenge - Happy

So the next challenge from the Counterfeit Kit ladies was to use doilies and I've used the crochet one from my February Counterfeit Kit. This one also made an appearance in my last kit so I was pleased to have the challenge to finally use it!

I was a bit unsure how to use it as it is quite bulky and was also dithering about using it as a mask or adding colour with a spray - so I bit the bullet and just stuck it down! I've used Sketch #72 from Sketch Savvy for this page - I heard of them via Susan's blog and loved the look of this one. Lots of the sketches there have recently been made available to print as a PDF - which is what I did :) - so it might be worth a visit if you're a sketch fan and haven't been over there yet.

The Lily Bee background paper has a distressed, slightly grungy look to it - so I thought that I'd add those old glittery rub-ons - obviously! They are only slightly glittery and the colours sort of went ....

Those rub-ons were ancient though - not only did they take a lot of rubbing but they are lifting up in places. I'm hoping that they'll last - but I'm very happy to have used most of them on this page after they have graced a couple of my kits and lived to tell the tale!

For the banner I layered punched circles for a tone on tone look and added 3 buttons and thread from my stash. The chip heart from my kit got covered with paper and I really like how it turned out  - it's one of the reasons I love the Counterfeit Kit Challenge as I wouldn't have fished it out otherwise :)

Hope you'll join us and use up some doilies - thanks for popping by ....