More layouts from the counterfeit kit

Counterfeit kit layout #1

I made the first layout with my kit and I used one of the borders I had for ages and also the big journalling block. I am rather pleased with this. I also managed to use some memorabilia in the form of a little letter Big Monkey had written to Little Monkey. She normally doesn't do this, well, as he can't read it's a bit pointless but she tucked this note into his bed one night. So I thought it would be sweet to keep this to show them when they are older. I always keep notes and messages but it all gets overhand and I rarely use them on my pages so this is a good start. What do you do with these memorabilia?

Scrapbooking

I managed to create quite a few layouts this month.

I always keep memorabilia from our trips but hardly ever use them on a layout so I made one entirely with it for a trip Daddy Monkey and I took to Bath in 2010 for our Birthdays. I like how it came together really quickly.

This is about our "flight" on the London Eye in August last year. I don't normally journal in German but that song title just fitted so perfectly I thought. And I couldn't get it out of my mind otherwise. It means above the clouds.

Once you're on the top you have to, have to take a photo with Big Ben in the Background.

I finally managed to print the photos of the Monkeys enjoying water melon so I could use the melon die for my BigShot. 

I just love that, even though I don't like watermelon I feel I need to buy it more often to take photos and use that die... I even now have a stamp, I got it in a goody bag which was a nice surprise.

Meeting more friends

Big Monkey and I went to see Missus Wookie this afternoon to do some scrapbooking. We has so much fun I forgot to take a photo of us. We created quite a few things so it was a successful day. I thought I had deserved it as before that I had to go to for blood tests. Again. The hospital is close to Paddington Station and even I walked down this road many times before I never noticed the big lettering on this house;

Princess was surprised to hear of my little visitor last week. She had tried to entice goldfinches into their garden for a while with no success and gave up as the food got all moldy instead of being eaten. I thought she might now start to put some niger seeds out again but she thinks in her part of London there are simply no goldfinches. hmm, I'm only a 10 minutes walk up the road...

The stone collector

Little Monkey always liked to pick up stones which he then hands over to keep in pockets. Later he checks whether we still have the pebbles.

and fun was had by all...

Today I was lucky enough to spend a day with these lovely "ladies". You know Missus Wookie.

This is Missus Wookie's Mum.

This is our residential messy player and artist Miss L.

We meet once a month to create cards and scrapbook layouts. Missus Wookie's Mum had created lots of layouts but chose to have a photo with her cup of coffee taken. Fair enough, vats of coffee and tea are always consumed otherwise no creativity would be possible. Chips, too, are a necessity and  the Fish&Chip shop does good business particularly thanks to Miss L. 

Yes, I think it can safely be said that we all had a great time and lots of fun. 

Scrapbooks

I've organized my scrapbooks again, mainly I've given up on the Stacy Julian concept of storing layouts in a seperate binder before I put them into the final album. Way to complicated, the layouts just ended up on top of the binders gathering dust. So I've now prepared all the albums with enough page protectors and then once I finished a layout I will just drop them in. Or so is the plan. 

In any case they look much prettier than the black plastic binders I had in the shelf before. And there were only four of them. Now there are seven ! albums instead. That's because the binders were too big to store upright so I had them lying down taking away lots of space. I'm very pleased how they look but I feel there is something missing, orange maybe?

Counterfeit Kit layouts

Two layouts I made with the kit I prepared for the Counterfeit Kit challenge. That patterned paper has inspired me to dig for photos that include some of the 70s furniture. Sadly I couldn't find the photos with the wallpaper we had in the sitting room. I think they are in an album already, they are black and white anyhow which would not show its wonderful brown-beige colour combo. But it was pretty much like that swirly paper.

Counterfeit Kit

I've been following the Counterfeit Kit blog for a while now. I've resisted so far because I thought I don't have enough matching pieces but when I prepared some page kits for a crop recently I thought I can do this. This months kit to counterfeit is from Sweet Peach Crop Shop So here's my first attempt.


I concentrated mainly on the colour which gave me the chance to use this very funky retro Sassafras Cardstock. I will use this, I will, I will... there are some fitting photos from the seventies somewhere in a box that feature a wallpaper just like this. Even the colour is close if I remember correctly. My Mum was really at the height of fashion back then. Other than that I've got a bit of everything, Scenic Route, October Afternoon, My Mind's eye. The embellishments are some Maya Road ribbon slides, Prima flowers and lots of lonely little pieces lost at the bottom of boxes which will now get hopefully their place out in the limelight. Now I just need time to get some layouts done.

Scrapbooking

I did quite a few layouts recently. I really enjoyed doing them. I even got the fluid chalks out again after what must have been years.

365 - 330 and a new project

We went to build a super duper enormous train track at Mrs Wookie's house.


Big Monkey wasn't as keen so she made Potato Heads.


I know the photos are out of focus but that's the fun of the Hipstamatic app for the iPhone. I love the results, they always are so unexpected. So I thought it would be good fun to make an album. As it is I'm a bit behind with the Stacy Julian class on Big Picture Scrapbooking and the task for the week for me is to think up an idea for a new theme album. Sorted. I like it when things come together naturally.

365 - 188 Fun Day for Mums

Went to Mrs Wookie's for a day of scrapbooking, chatting, laughing and having fun.

365 - 171 My parents

I hardly have any photos of my parents together so these photos are extra special to me.

December Daily

I've decided to join the December Daily that Ali Edwards does every year on her blog.

I found the lovely blue album with matching Christmas Paper so I've made my book all ready for December.


Ali Edwards uses lots of transparencies this year. I didn't have any and I don't think I'd like them with that album anyway but for the first page I wanted something different. So I used a sheet of velum and added painted circles I added with an old jar lid.


The paper I found had a sheet with numbers on, how convenient. I must have bought it for a special project that didn't happen. That paper must have been in my to do box for two years I think. Luckily I still like it a lot. The colours are very pretty and for a change it's not your typical Christmas colours.


I plan to add a sort of calendar on the back side of the divider page with the daily photo on the front of the page in the protector. On the back side I will add all the not so pretty parts like entrance tickets (they don't do them like the use to, don't they?) and the odd receipt.

Confessions of a inquisitive mind

The journaling reads:

I have emptied nearly all of a brand new 900g box of rice krispies onto the floor
I start singing at the earliest possible moment each morning at around 5.40 am
I have stuck 3 beads up my nose so we had to go to A&E and wait for four hours
I said mummy hurt me even though she only closed the fridge door
I always say yes even though the answer clearly should be no
I normally scream before anybody even realises I didn't want that
I need to cry because nobody peels a banana the right way, there is no right way
I push my big sister because that makes her squeak really loud
I don't ever listen but that's because I always know best anyway

Ah, the joy of having a toddler to share life with...

A few layouts I did recently

It has been a while since I got round to scrap some photos. Hence they range from the time we had snow to fairly recently.

A simple trip to the Park

What excitement we had at the park yesterday. On our way home we spotted the builders who relay the stones on the pavement. A big lorry came to move earth and sand. Little monkey was absolutely mesmerized. He ate his blueberries while watching like popcorn at the movies. Just when the lorry left a police van drove up and four officers jumped out. I thought we never make it home in time to pick up the big monkey from school.

I've started a class with Jessica Sprague and this is my first digital layout using a template about Mother's Day.

A good way to spend some time...

I managed to start quite a few layouts at the crop last week. I didn't have any alphabets with me so I had to finish them at home. As usual here in Monkey Towers it takes a while to get things done if they don't involve a washing machine. I think I still have to add something here, some journaling I think... A friend had lent me the edge punch for the paper and promptly led me astray with that, now I own a lovely Martha Stewart edge punch too. I stitched the centre flower myself out of some scrap pieces of fabric. It does look sophisticated, doesn't it? But so easy to do, once you know how. All is revealed here and along with some great instructions to make even more flowers.
In any case this was in France in December. We stayed in a very lovely castle on our way back from the snow and cold. It was still cold here too but at least sunny which made all the difference. We actually felt like taking a walk around the grounds. Big monkey thought the castle marvelous, it had towers and a proper moat. You can't argue with that now, can you. Unfortunately we had still a long way to go and catch the ferry so we couldn't explore as much as we would have liked.