Lily Pad Cards Blog Hop

Good morning, Hoppers! Welcome to your first stop on Day 2 of the Lily Pad Cards Blog Hop! Today's cardmakers are literally going to make you ribbit out loud! Each day, the hop will span 7 different blogs, then culminate on Friday, April 1, with the grand opening of Lily Pad Cards. Lily Pad Cards is a new challenge blog that will feature interviews, articles, videos, challenges, great prizes, and more!

Although Lily Pad doesn't officially bloom until April 1, 2011, you'll be able to see a new sneak peek every day until then. And you'll definitely want to drop by because there are three prize packages with a total retail value of over $800 (WOW!)-including $100 worth of gift certificates to a very popular online store! Go HERE for specific prize details and contest rules.

The theme of our hop is "welcome"-not only are we welcoming Lily Pad Cards to the neighborhood, but we're also welcoming all of you to come in and join in on the fun.

Thanks for being neighborly and hopping by my pad today! Your next stop on the hop is the incredibly talented Jill Foster: http://www.stampinginspiredby.blogspot.com/. If you hit a bad link, you can always hop back to the Lily Pad and click on the next link in the hop. We'd also appreciate it if you would report any bad links to webmaster@inlinkz.com.

Happy hopping!

Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop

Welcome to your next stop on the Counterfeit Kit challenge Blog Hop for the month of March! If you didn't start at the very beginning, you will want to head on over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog. We have lots of great scrappers participating this month-you won't want to miss a single hop!

Our mini challenge for the blog hop was to scraplift ourselves. I don't do this very often, so this was a fun challenge for me. I knew right away that I wanted to scraplift this gift bag that I made for my mom's birthday back in January:

I really loved this project-the stamps, the label shape of the bag topper, and the fact that it was a fun way to give a gift. I tried to think of a way to make the bag differently. I was a little stuck, but I was quickly inspired when I saw the cute little boxes that Backyard Farms uses for their tomatoes:

I loved the die-cut fence on the front and the fact that it was made from kraft cardstock. Being the frugal girl that I am, I decided to take the elements that I loved from my gift bag and use them to create a gift box. Here is what I came up with (my sweet daughter even baked some Double Chocolate Chunk cookies so my box wouldn't be empty for the hop!)

Everything (except the box and the cookies) came from my March Counterfeit Kit. I hope that you like the project and are inspired to upcycle your produce packaging, too! Your next stop on the hop is with the fabulous Karen Williams. Don't forget to leave some love along the way!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge-Frames

I have admitted many times that I have a seemingly endless supply of chipboard. It was one of those supplies that I bought a TON of when it first became popular, but didn't use very often. I just WANTED it. Now I am trying to use it more often-tyring to make a dent in that stash!

For our "Frames" mini challenge, I turned to my stash of chipboard. Many of you may consider this to be cheating, since the chipboard is not technically part of my kit. I keep my chipboard in the original 12x12 packaging, so it would be difficult to fit in with my kit. Also, I figure ANYTHING that will help me to use up my stash should be legal, lol! So I keep my chipboard sheets hanging in my scraproom closet, readily accessible.

Although I loved this scalloped chipboard frame, it was a little overwhelming for my 8.5x11" layout, especially since I wanted to include at least two photos. So, (gasp!) I CUT one side off of that pretty chipboard frame. Of course, I couldn't bear to throw it away-I tucked it into my kit to use on another project later this month. :)

This was a naked chipboard frame, so I first painted it with acrylic paint, then used Versamark ink and iridescent embossing powder to give it some shine and sparkle. I finished my frame by adhering a little aqua gem in the hole of each scallop.

How will you include a frame on your project? I can't wait to see your takes on this challenge!

Just Wanted to Say "Hi"...

Just a quick share today of a card that I made this week using my March Counterfeit Kit, a cute digi stamp from Tiddly Inks, and a fun sketch from Twisted Sketches. I have had this little hedgehog saved in my digi stamp folder for a while now. Isn't he the cutest? A friend of mine recently lost someone very near and dear to her, and since she loves hedgehogs, I thought I would drop her this little note.

These aren't colors that I would have ever though to put together without the help of my Counterfeit Kit, but I love the finished card! I especially love the punched borders. These are two that I punched when Lesa, Cindy and I had our Punch & Lunch last month. I love having these borders all punched and ready to go! I added a tiny row of machine stitching across the flower border, then topped each flower with aqua gems. I think it adds a sweet, girly touch to this card. I hope it makes my sweet friend smile. :)

If you haven't checked out the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog lately, you need to head on over! Right now, we have an Etsy-inspired challenge going on, plus all of the new DT members are being introduced over the next few days. Stop in and say "hi"!

Some fun news to share!

Did you hear the news? I am currently the Guest Designer at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge, and I get to stay on as a member of the new Masters of Forgery Design Team! I am so excited! I had given up most of my design commitments during my student teaching last fall, and I am anxious to start up again. I've got something else exciting in the works, but I can't share yet. Soon, girls, I promise! ;)

Mini Challenge: Etsy Inspiration

This week's Counterfeit Kit Challenge is to be inspired by a project from Etsy. HERE is the project that I chose. I have always loved the look of printer's trays, but finished ones tend to be a bit pricey. I knew I could make my own for a fraction of the price. To save even more money, I found a small shadowbox at Goodwill to alter. The price was definitely right: 45 cents!

Here is a before photo:

Pretty outdated and dusty, huh?

Here's what it looks like now:

Here are the details:

Top left: I cut this butterfly from my lace paper, but the color just didn't "pop" like I wanted it too. So, I covered the butterfly with Versamark ink and heat embossed it twice with silver embossing powder. Two bling brads form the body.

Top right: I stamped the sewing machine on a piece of clear packaging (from the Bella Blvd. fabric flowers.) I then paper pieced just the body of the machine and added an epoxy brad and some stickle-y thread. For the "fabric", I cut a little slit in the transparency and threaded a scrap of rickrack through.

Middle left: Just a rub-on and gems on a Spellbinders die-cut.

Middle right: I cut a Spellbinders die-cut in half, then distressed the edge so it looks like a tiny notebook edge. Studio G stamp and butterfly punches, plus a little doily that I created with an EK Success border punch.

Bottom left: My favorite! I stamped the dressform on the same clear packaging from the flowers and paper pieced the dress. The text flowers are just two punched flowers, adhered together with a foam square and topped with a button and gems. The little metal flowers are my soda can flowers. :)

Bottom right: I trimmed a corner off the stamped doily from my kit, then topped it with a butterfly rub-on on white cardstock. I popped the butterfly up with foam squares. I love this punched flower, too. I layered three Martha Stewart flower punches, attached an epoxy brad, then "squished" the petals up to give it some dimension. The tiny stamp is from an old (uninked!) Studio G set.

Thanks so much for stopping in today! I hope you can join us for this challenge this week! Check out the details at the Counterfeit Challenge blog!

My Counterfeit Wildflowers Kit

With this kit, I once again started with one paper, inspired by the Studio Calico kit. I chose the butterfly print from Basic Grey, then found some coordinating papers similar to the inspiration kit. My lace paper has butterflies, which went perfectly with this kit! I printed the sign language and song cards from websites, and I was AMAZED to find the images identical to those in the inspiration kit! Glittery die-cut letters and vellum sentiment stickers from Momenta, and lots of fabric flowers from my stash complete this kit. I am hoping to try some fun things with Meridy and Bethany's flower tutorials, but I really want to use up these flowers, which have been in my stash for too long. :)
Be sure to stop back tomorrow, when I reveal my project for our Etsy-Inspired Challenge!

My Counterfeit Sunny Clearing Kit

I love this little kit. The colors, the patterns...and how easy it was for my to pull together. :)
All of the papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl 6x6 paper pad. I also pulled a few Cosmo Cricket Elements from another line, some cute little chipboard flower buttons from Dollar Tree, and a set of Studio G number/alpha border stamps. I decided that instead of the large scalloped calendar from the inspiration kit, I would use my Hero Arts doily stamp. I really love this stamp, and I think it works well with the rest of the kit. I stamped it on Crushed curry cardstock with Versamark ink, then heat embossed it with white embossing powder.
My sweet mom crocheted me some tiny doilies, too, but I didn't have them when I took this photo. I also made a couple of embellished paper clips using buttons and oversized epoxy brads. You will see them both on a project or two very soon. :)
Don't forget to stop by the Counterfeit Kit challenge blog to see Meridy's kit and Bethany's kit, along with some fun links to freebies for your own kits.

My Counterfeit Mossy Knoll Kit

This is the most masculine portion of my March kit-lots of geometrics and neutral colors. For papers, I started with the stripe in the bottom right corner because I felt that would be the most challenging to match in my stash. Once I found this stripe from My Mind's Eye, I was able to build my papers around it. I'm not sure if I would use the papers from just this kit, but I think they will make interesting additions to projects made from my other kits.
A fun addition to this kit was the package of metal flower brads. I LOVED these and couldn't wait to make something similar! I was able to make my own for literally pennies, which made me very happy. Scroll down to my next post for the tutorial for my flowers, plus see a sneak peek of a project that I made using them!

Metal Flower Tutorial

Today I'm going to share with you how I made the metal flower embellishments in my Counterfeit Mossy Knoll Add-On Kit. They are really easy to make and you can make a couple of dozen from one recycled soda can. That's great for my scrap budget!

First, gather your materials: a clean, empty soda can, utility scissors, a small flower punch, small gems or bling brads, and a paper piercer (if you're using brads.)



Carefully cut off the top and bottom of the soda can. Cut a slit up the entire side of the can. Be very careful, as the sides of the can are very sharp!



Smooth out the sheet of metal enough to slide it into the punch.



Punch flowers from metal sheet.



For each flower, bend each petal up slightly. The center of the flower should sit flat on your work surface, and each of the petals should stand up just a bit.



Now curl each of the petals by gently pulling on them. Shape as desired-the metal is very pliable.



Add a small gem or bling brad to the center of each flower (use your paper piercer to poke a hole if using a brad.) I used a smoky gray gem to the center of each-I thought it looked great against the metal.

Here's a sneak of a project that I made using these flowers:

This is my project for our first mini challenge-make sure to check back on the 13th for all of the details and to see my project in full!

My Counterfeit Babbling Brook Kit

Here is aphoto of my kit:



Lots of handmade goodies there! I used punches and my sewing machine for one (see the next post for a tutorial), a text stamp for another, and lots of Cricut fonts for the last! Here is the full image of my font paper:


I also used my Cricut to make the small scalloped circle. I made it much smaller than the inspiration kit's because I have the smaller Cricut. That's OK with me, though, because I already have a layout in mind for this one!
I used an EK Success border punch to make my aqua flower border. Doesn't it look just like the trim in the inspiration kit? I also cut up one of my die-cut ledger papers for my faux envelopes. Can't wait to try these on a project!
Thanks so much for stopping by today!

"Get the Look"-Cosmo Cricket's Cocktail

My first example of how to "get the look" of Cocktail, one of Cosmo Cricket's fun new Social Club papers, is very similar to what Bethany shows you in her tutorial HERE on the Counterfeit Kit blog. I simply machine-stitched over each row of circles, using a contrasting thread. Fun look, don't you think? Try this with other shaped punches, too-think butterflies, hearts, flowers...


The next way to "get the look", but on a smaller scale, is to punch a solid cardstock border using a large scalloped border punch (mine is from EK Success.) I also punched lots of 1" circles from scraps.

Next, flip your cardstock border over and apply adhesive adross the entire border. I put my border on scrap paper and just ran a tape runner over the entire strip, right over the punched holes. You can see the shine of the adhesive in the photo.

Now you're just going to layer the circles over the back of the border. I overlapped each circle so you can only see one pattern through each punched hole.

Here is the finished border:

I love those pops of color! And because this was made from the materials from my kit, I'm going to use this border on a project this month, too! Thanks for stopping by!

Island Lunch

Today I'm sharing my first layout of the month from my March Counterfeit Kit. I used papers and embellies from both my main kit and my add-on kits. You can see the contents of my main kit in THIS post. I will be sharing my add-on kits all this week, so be sure to check back to see what goodies I've unearthed in my scrap room!

For this page, I kept the design pretty basic, but added some fun little accents. I had this lonely yellow flower in my stash, so I folded it in half and added a button to to top. Although it is meant to be a flower, it kind of reminds me of a little sunshine peeking up above the photos. I tucked a little journaling spot behind the flower, then added a sprinkling of buttons and bling brads.

I embellished my buttons by using some of the tiniest rub-ons from my kit. I think they add just the right amount of whimsy to this layout. I even made a few extras just to have ready in my kit. These would make great little accents for a card or tag, too. It helps those little rub-ons from getting lost on the project.

Hope you can stop in tomorrow for the reveal of my first add-on, my Counterfeit Babbling Brook kit. Lots of handmade papers and accents, and some tips for how you can "get the look."

March Counterfeit Kit Challenge

I'm so excited to be the Guest Designer this month at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog! This month's inspiration kits are from Studio Calico. That's right-I said kits, with an "s"! Not only are Meridy, Bethany and I counterfeiting the main kit, but we also are each making the FOUR add-on kits! Lots of scrappy goodness, I tell you!
Today, we are each sharing our main kits on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog, and I am sharing mine here with you. Here is the main inspiration kit from Studio Calico:

And here is my kit:

With this kit, I was able to match almost all of the papers very closely. The only exception was the Woodland paper (top, second from the left.) I chose a repeating aqua pattern from Basic Grey. The colors in this pattern worked well with the other papers in my kit. My cardstocks are Lagoon, Watermelon, Crushed Curry, Kraft, White, Ivory and Black. I have also included a couple of small scraps of green that matched one of my add-on kits perfectly.

When it came to the embellishments, however, I had to make some substitutions. I started with the bee stamp. I don't have a bee stamp, but I saw this pretty butterfly stamp that a friend recently gave me. I added that to my kit, and that inspired me to add the chipboard butterflies. My label stickers are from Martha Stewart, and the colors go well with my papers. Finally, instead of the larger letter stickers and title die-cut, I included a rub-on alphabet and a package of Basic Grey rub-ons. The rub-ons have lots of icons (including some bees) and sentiments which would work well for either cards or layouts.

I will also add buttons as I make my projects. I discovered in January with my first kit that it is much more practical for me to keep my buttons in their original jars and just take what I want as I go.

Thank so much for stopping by today! I can't wait to show you my add-on kits, plus I am itching to start making some projects to share! Don't forget to take photos of your kits and share them on the blog or on the Counterfeit Kit Facebook Page-we'd love to see how you're inspired by the kits!