May 2024 - Challenge #1 - Go Geometric

Master Forger Misty here to kick off the first challenge of the month. Since I was immediately drawn to the very first paper in this kit inspiration, we will use that for our first challenge. As a reminder, here is the kit as well as a larger view of that wonderful pattern paper.

Just look at those bold, stylized circles! I'm in geometric heaven! So, today I want you to focus on geometrics. Maybe you’ll use lots of circles like in this pattern paper. Perhaps you’ll go with a grid design. How about lots of triangle embellishments? Those are geometrics too! Whatever you choose to do, make geometric shapes or design the star of the show.

To help get you rolling, let's check out what our team came up with for this challenge.

Guest Designer Alison shared this layout featuring her forged circle paper. Here is what Alison had to say...  

"I used my forgery paper as well as various circular elements from my kit.
The photo is from when my brother and I flew to Glasgow for our aunts funeral. As sucky as the whole reason for the trip was, and as emotional as that day was, it was so amazing to be with family. We left the UK when we were kids, and while I did spend as much time there as I could after my parents died, the distance is hard to overcome. And yet, a few moments together and it’s like no time has passed.
The circles to me are symbolic that we all come full circle in life. That you can always go home again - even after 20+ years. That family and those blood ties bind us together with bonds stronger than mere love."

Master Forger Tara, says this about her layout:

 

I really wanted to do something different than the circles in the inspiration kit and I LOVE hexagons because they are easily connected together like a big puzzle.  Today, I am telling a story about a stack of boxes in my living room.  I used my dies and a hexagon punch to create my hexagons.  I also stitched onto my hexagons after I adhered them to my black background paper. 

 

After I saw our list of Misfit Scrappy Items for iNSD challenges, I just had to use a piece of black cardstock for my background and some white ink spray from Mr. Huey's. I really love how that background made my hexagons POP! 

 

I did add some woodgrain houses from my stash as some embellishments are my two lager hexagon to anchor my journaling block and some embellishments.  I really let my shapes do the work of the embellishing for this layout!

Master Forger Brandi 

I decided to embrace the half & half circles and let that guide my entire layout! I created a background with intentionally uneven circles and continued the circle theme throughout my page with circular photos and embellishments! 

Master Forger Julene 

I used circle paper plus circle chipboard I painted, circle embellishments and even cut my photo in a circle. I made the tag using stamping and a fussy cut bicycle.

Now go create something fantastic! Then come back for more challenges. Let's see how the lineup looks.

• 18th May - Challenge #2
• 22nd May - Challenge #3 Let’s Get Sketchy
• 24th May - Follower Showcase
• 30th May - Challenge #4 Baby Use Those Scraps
• 31st May - iNSD challenge deadline

We really love to hear from our followers! Make sure that you come hang out with us on the Facebook Community Group. You can also hang out with us on Instagram by tagging #counterfeitkitchallnge and #ckcMay2024. See you next time.

May 2024 - Mini Kit and Projects Reveal

 If you are low on time then a mini kit may be your solution to still get some crafting done. Two of our Master Forgers are going to show you how they build a mini kit and then how they use them towards projects.  Let me remind you of the Inspiration Kit:

Master Forger Laurie

The first thing I noticed about the inspiration kit was the circles, the houses and the alphabet/letter papers. It instantly reminded me of school so that’s the direction most of my layouts went as you can see. First let’s look at my kit.

 

I was able to create 5 layouts. I may be able to squeeze out one more using scraps, but we’ll see. Four of my layouts were school themed. You don’t need to have specifically themed paper and embellishments to create layouts such as these. I actually ended up using the B side of a couple of the papers I chose. It just seemed to fit my story better.

My last layout is about a bad day. I thought using lemons was appropriate as when life gives you lemons….you get the idea. 

Master Forger Vikki

I absolutely love the colors in this month's inspiration kit.  It's the perfect color palette for the baby girl pictures I'm currently scrapbooking.  I added baby elements to my kit this month. I also pulled a lot of alphas for this kit, but a girl needs options.

I created two 12x12 layouts.  I love how the colors in the kit match the tone of the pictures.  I added a simple black pen outline to the papers in this layout to help them stand out against the background paper.

For the second layout, I did a simple mixed media "smooshing" technique using two different inks spritzed with water.  I love the softness it adds to the page.  I can't wait to see your mini kit and the projects you create this month.

Next up for the month is a dive in to our regular challenges. Our iNSD challenge is ongoing this month. If you missed that, go check out the post to learn how to participate and enter for a chance at one of three prizes!

• 12th May - Challenge #1
• 18th May - Challenge #2
• 22nd May - Challenge #3 Let’s Get Sketchy
• 24th May - Follower Showcase
• 30th May - Challenge #4 Baby Use Those Scraps
• 31st May - iNSD challenge deadline

We really love to hear from our followers! Make sure that you come hang out with us on the Facebook Community Group. You can also hang out with us on Instagram by tagging #counterfeitkitchallnge and #ckcMay2024. See you next time.

interNational Scrapbook Day - 2024

Hello, hello, hello! Today is interNational Scrapbook Day! Are you ready to celebrate this favorite hobby of ours? Well then, let's dive right into what we have happening here for you!
We know iNSD is celebrated around the internet so we wanted to make our activities compatible with what you might already be doing. So let's dive in to our celebratory activity...

Queen Purge is on her way to purge your stash of your misfit scrappy items! In order to save them from her dastardly intentions, you must use FIVE of the items below on a single layout. For this challenge, two page layouts will count as one layout.
Each time you complete a layout using five different items from this list, your name will be dropped into our drawing for one of three gift cards to the Some Assemblage Required online shop. This means you have up to FIVE chances to get your name into the drawing!

Rules

1. Master Forgers aren't allowed to compete for the drawing but will be here to help spur you on with their own creations from the list.
   
   
2. You have to use 5 items from this list below on each layout without duplicating them. You will be able to get your name into the drawing 1-5 times during the month of May.
   
   
3. Post your project pics to our Facebook group, or on Instagram. Either way, include the hashtag #CKCiNSD24 to be entered.
   
   
4. This challenge ends promptly at NOON EST May 31st.

Misfit Items

Your CKCB team shared this list of their most misfit scrappy supplies! Help save them all from Queen Purge.

1. washi
2. embossing folders
3. watercolors/acrylic paint
4. templates/stencils
5. ribbon
6. brayer
7. glitter (yes glitter glue is okay, LOL)
8. buttons
9. brads/eyelets
10. stamps
11. bling/pearls
12. Thickers
13. small phrase stickers
14. black cardstock base
15. rub-ons
16. pocket cards
17. wood veneer
18. sequins
19. frames
20. stickers, but not alpha or phrase stickers
21. die cuts (ephemera)
22. cutfiles
23. acrylic embellishments/titles
24. chipboard
25. flowers

As a reminder, you do not need to use your May kit for these challenges. Hope you enjoy using our iNSD challenge right along with any other challenges you may be participating in! We are looking forward to seeing all your layouts.

The month has just begun and we still have lots of inspiration coming to you. Let's see what is coming up next.

• 4th May - Forgery on the Fourth -- also happening today!

• 6th May - Mini Kit and Project Reveal

• 12th May - Challenge #1

• 18th May - Challenge #2

• 22nd May - Challenge #3 Let’s Get Sketchy

• 24th May - Follower Showcase

• 30th May - Challenge #4 Baby Use Those Scraps

• 31st May - iNSD challenge deadline

 

We really love to hear from our followers! Make sure that you come hang out with us on the Facebook Community Group. You can also hang out with us on Instagram by tagging #counterfeitkitchallnge and #ckcMay2024. See you next time.

May 2024 - Forgeries on the Fourth

Today we have two events happening! As usual it is our Forgery on the 4th inspiration. Also, today is iNSD! Be sure to check out the announcement of our celebration activity and learn about the prizes!

Now let's see what the Master Forgers were inspired to forge this month.

Sometimes we like an element but don't have anything like it. Sometimes we just want to make with our hands. Either way, it is always fun to see ways to create elements from supplies we already own!

Master Forger Julene made this.

I was looking at this paper and remembered I had a jar stamp.

Using the jar stamp I did this

I then used 3 coloured paints and replicated the original as best I could.

With the leftover green paint I coloured some chipboard circles.

Master Forger Misty created these four items.

She shared a video with tips on creating these elements if you are curious.
Front left to right: 

1. yellow pinstripe pattern paper from cardstock and a white gel pen
2. A star print created from an existing teal and while polka dot print. She simply doodled the extra star elements onto the paper.
3. A scalloped print using a 3-D embossing folder and panels of cardstock. Everything was pieced back together to create a full 12x12 sheet.
4. Altered washi tape with alcohol ink markers to recreate an item in the extra/add-on Timeless collection supplies.

Master Forger Ryann used a circle punch, a few patterned pages from her kit, and her box of scraps to create the half-circle page to use.

(Left is the forgery, right is the original.)

The month is young and we still have lots of inspiration coming to you. Let's see what is coming up next.

• 4th May - Kick Off iNSD -- also happening today!
• 6th May - Mini Kit and Project Reveal
• 12th May - Challenge #1
• 18th May - Challenge #2
• 22nd May - Challenge #3 Let’s Get Sketchy
• 24th May - Follower Showcase
• 30th May - Challenge #4 Baby Use Those Scraps
• 31st May - iNSD challenge deadline

We really love to hear from our followers! Make sure that you come hang out with us on the Facebook Community Group. You can also hang out with us on Instagram by tagging #counterfeitkitchallnge and #ckcMay2024. See you next time.

May 2024 - Just The Gist Of It!

 Do you ever have a hard time knowing where to start with a kit? Let me walk you through just one way I sometimes approach a kit build. As a refresher, here is our kit inspiration...

When I was searching for an inspiration kit to share this month, the first thing that caught my attention was that bold circular print. There were so many things I liked about it. That is the spark I will start my kit build with.

I'm going to go to my stash and find a paper that could be a good representation of this inspiration. Remember, a representation does not have to be a match. Here are the options I came up with in my stash, and perhaps you have one of these in your stash.

From left to right we have

• Shimelle, Little by Little, Bear Hug
• Vicki Boutin, Fernwood, Full Circle
• Vicki Boutin, Print Shop, Carved
• Vicki Boutin, Color Study, Spheres
• Vicki Boutin, Storyteller, Aseebmlage
• PinkFresh, Some Days, Turning Circles
• Vicki Boutin, Color Study, specialty vellum
• Crafty Soup, Fly High (a freebie over on my blog)
• Basic Grey, Out of Print, Daily News

That is a lot of choices. One of them is all limey-green, which isn't really a color in the inspiration. In fact, all these papers have their own colorways that aren't great matches. You may even notice that the few near the end are more interpreted in their shapes.

We have bold geometric shapes as well as pie wedge style circles. That final "paper" isn't even paper, it is translucent vellum. As you can see, there are many ways to take an inspiration image.

I decided on this paper.

It is a print from Heidi Swapp's Sun Chaser collection. Why did I pick this one over the others? Even though it has orange and mauve tones, it just worked better with the other paper options I was pulling from my stash. 

I find my kit building process to be a bit of a push and pull. I'll choose a variety of things and then start eliminating pieces as I see options beginning to click together.

So here is how my final paper selection ended up.

If you are new here it can be confusing on where to start. There is no one right answer on how to build a kit. I just hope this helps you with one idea on where to get started. 

The month is young and we still have lots of inspiration coming to you. Let's see what is coming up next.

• 4th May - Forgeries on the Fourth
• 4th May - Kick Off iNSD
• 6th May - Mini Kit and Project Reveal
• 12th May - Challenge #1
• 18th May - Challenge #2
• 22nd May - Challenge #3 Let’s Get Sketchy
• 24th May - Follower Showcase
• 30th May - Challenge #4 Baby Use Those Scraps
• 31st May - iNSD challenge deadline 

We really love to hear from our followers! Make sure that you come hang out with us on the Facebook Community Group. You can also hang out with us on Instagram by tagging #counterfeitkitchallnge and #ckcMay2024. See you next time.

May 2024 - Inspiration Kit Reveal and Social Media Hop

Hello everyone! Master Forger Misty here to bring you our activities for the month of May. Don't forget that May celebrates interNational Scrapbook Day (aka iNSD) as well. So there will be extra fun happening! Stay tuned for that.

Now, let's go ahead and dive into this month's kit inspiration. I've chosen the Timeless kit from a company called DLS Design. If this kit doesn't sound familiar, there is a good reason for that. This kit is offered by a kit company in the Netherlands. Since you are unlikely to have any of these items, you will really have to put those counterfeit skills to use this month!

This image from the company's website is a bit hard to see. So I've taken screen shots of all the kit elements and compiled them into an overview.

I chose this kit for that bold circle print which features red. I don't normally use red. However this bold color is well balanced with white, yellows, greens and pink. It all just called to me. Plus, a few of the icons–books, moths, lanterns and tea kettles–felt right as we shift from spring into summer here in the States.

There is even more to this line of paper goodness. If you want to explore all the add ons and extras in this offering you can head over to the Timeless Collection page to see even more.

___________

Now, let's welcome our guest designer for May. I'm so happy to introduce you to my friend Alison Day. Here is what Alison wanted to share about herself.

"Hi I'm Alison and I've been playing with pretty paper since 2009. I've dabbled in crafts of every description all my life, but I discovered scrapbooking when my children were small, and I didn't look back. I trained as an Interior Designer and tend to use my knowledge of colour and design on my pages and in my cards instead of other people's houses. I'm a life-long student so learning from others inspires me and tends to lead to ideas. More ideas than I have time in the day to implement! 

In 2021 I opened an Arts & Crafts store in my town of Ladner, BC. [Ladner Village Arts & Crafts]. It became my home away from home and being surrounded by not only racks and racks of pretty paper, but also fabric, yarn and painting supplies has had my brain buzzing ever since. It also allows me to give back in the form of teaching others what I've learned over the years. In the fall of 2022 I audited a beginner crochet class to be better educated as a yarn salesperson, and now I'm completely obsessed with all things yarn! Don't be surprised if my layouts are all about crochet projects now LOL.

I am super grateful to my friend Misty for giving me the opportunity to share my passions with you and can't wait to see what you all do with this month's inspiration!"

You can find Alison on her social media

• Blog: http://alisondaydesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daydesigning/
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@AlisonDayDesigning

While you are checking out Alison, don't forget that the team has our kit reveal hop as usual.

1st May - Counterfeit Kit Challenge Reveal and Hop

• Counterfeit Kit Challenge - http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/  

• Guest Designer - Alison Day http://www.youtube.com/@AlisonDayDesigning

• Brandi - https://www.instagram.com/scrappy.boymama/ 

• Christine - https://www.youtube.com/@ScrappingHarden/featured

• Cindy - http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/

• Jody - https://www.instagram.com/floppyearedfarm/

• JoJo - https://www.instagram.com/scrappyconfessions

• Julene - http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com/

• Misty - https://craftysoup.com/

• Ryann - https://www.instagram.com/scrapbookjoey/

• Tara - https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com/ 

• Tina - http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Now, let's take a look at what we have in store for this month's lineup.

• 2nd May - Just the Gist of It
• 4th May - Forgeries on the Fourth
• 4th May - Kick Off iNSD
• 6th May - Mini Kit and Project Reveal
• 12th May - Challenge #1
• 18th May - Challenge #2
• 22nd May - Challenge #3 Let’s Get Sketchy
• 24th May - Follower Showcase
• 30th May - Challenge #4 Baby Use Those Scraps
• 31st May - iNSD challenge deadline

 We really love to hear from our followers! Make sure that you come hang out with us on the Facebook Community Group. You can also hang out with us on Instagram by tagging #counterfeitkitchallnge and #ckcMay2024. See you next time.

April 2024 - Challenge #4 - Baby Use Your Scraps!!

Hi!  Master Forger Tara here!  Welcome back!  Today, I am bringing you our final challenge using our April kits!  Our final challenge is always "Baby Use Your Scraps".  Before we get started, let me remind you of our Inspiration Kit:

Let's see what our Master Forgers have created for you using scraps from their regular kits and mini kits!! 

Master Forger Vikki

I wanted to create some traveler's notebook pages and the scraps I had from my mini kit gave me the perfect opportunity.  I was able to get three TN pages done.  I love the versatility of a mini kit.  You can create 12x12 pages and smaller projects with what is left over.  I can't wait to see what you create with your scraps from this month's kit.

Master Forger JoJo

When I got to the end of my kit, I was running out of embellishments, so I made some

 out of my kit scraps. I punched 1.5 inch circles and folded the edges of some and

 glue them together to make these cute circle embellishments. I put some buttons from my 

 kit in the center of them. I also used a metal die to make the jean pocket and I stamped the

flowers and the leaves using a stamps from my kit. Sometimes your scraps can go along way.

Master Forger Misty

I turned to my trusted scraps technique -- punching shapes.

Using my grid mat I was able to align all my newly punched hearts to create a background for my layout. I used Press'nSeal to keep everything aligned while I transferred it to a sheet of cardstock.

Since I often work duplicate layouts for different family members' albums, I went ahead and created a second page with the leftover hearts. I used a few of the larger "scraps" as photo blocks and trim for both layouts. Each is just a bit different depending on what scraps I had available.

 

We really love to hear from our followers! Make sure that you come hang out with us on the Facebook Community Group. You can also hang out with us on Instagram by tagging #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcApril2024!! See you next time!

Master Forger Tara