Thankful for Counterfeiting {November's Counterfeit Kit}

Hello! Hello! It's so wonderful to be back with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge after taking a little break over the summer. Life has been devoid of scrapbooking for several months (what a sad state of affairs) so it's fantastic to be playing with pretty paper once more!

If you've been following the blog-hop from the Counterfeit Kit Challenge you'll already have seen the inspiration kit in it's full autumnal glory. Rather than counterfeit the kit exactly, I wanted to recreate the 'feel' of the kit and opted for a mix of autumnal colours as a base (and included a lot of kraft, which isn't seen in the inspiration kit.)

I've echoed those colour choices in all of the embellishment choices that I've made, adding in a variety of kraft coloured die-cuts and envelopes; blue lettering; burnt orange inks and cords; and some washi tapes in blue, grey and teal. And, can I mention these amazing stickers from Love Elsie's Jack & Abby Collection? (Um, remember when Elsie Larsen was a scrapbooker? It's so, so long ago, that no-one remembers!) And those stickers have been in my stash that long. About time that I used them, right?

Balancing out those ridiculously old stickers are some new stickers, die-cuts and stamps from Elle's Studio. There's a mix of colours included, but I felt the emphasis on thankfulness and family would be wonderful for November scrapbooking (or holiday prepping!) and I was thrilled to find these little diamond stamps which are reminiscent of the red diamonds in the inspiration kit.

And that's me! It's so lovely to be back with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge. I cannot wait to see how the other members of the Design Team have been inspire, so I'm making myself a cuppa and then I'm heading on over to see Lesley's version at Oh Blog It!

Kitted Out!

Recently, I shared some tips and techniques for Creating DIY Planner Kits From Your Own Stash, with Amy and Jenn over at the Planner Squad. Over the last week, I've finally had the time to sit down and make something with the kit that I created and I am thrilled with the results. Want to see?

The base for the kit was a small ring-binder, which came with some standard (rather boring dividers) which I replaced using some of the bright, colourful cardstock that I had in my kit. You'll notice that I didn't add tabs, as I like to move my dividers around when I'm bored! Normally, I'll use clips on the tops or sides of my dividers as 'bookmarks' instead. 

I've added some cute notes to the dividers/dashboards - and the front pocket is the perfect size for a small set of alpha stickers, die-cuts and a few additional embellishments.

The binder is perfectly sized to hold a set of lined notecards, so after punching them all to fit, I decorated about a third of them using the craft tapes, stickers, tags and stamps from my kit. I love including a wide selection of embellishments when I make mini-albums, because I love how wonderfully fat these little beauties become when full!

This beautiful, button clip is easily my favourite item from the kit (the chevron washi from DoCrafts is a very, very close second) because it's stunning! I bought it at a local haberdashery such a long time ago, but wasn't sure how to use it. It looks so lush in the binder - and I'm thrilled to have found the perfect spot for it! 

I'll be using the rest of the kit to decorate the remaining notecards, but I think I'll also end up using some of it for cards (it's such a bright, happy mix of colours!) So, I've stored some of the more substantial cardstock and embellishments in the little binders that I use for 'Keeping Kits' and there's a small selection in the binder, to use 'as and when'. 

I'm really looking forward to using the binder - and am wondering whether I might use it as the basis for a small mini-album all about my planning obsession! Watch this space! 

Mix & Match {January's Counterfeit Kit}

I know, I know it's been a while! But what better way to throw myself back into blogging and creating than by creating my first Counterfeit Kit of 2013. I'm a little bit late to the party, but it's taken me a while to wade through my scrapbooking supplies. My craft room is in desperate need of a tidy!

In effort to start sorting - and using - I've only pulled cardstock, papers and embellishments from the mess that was on my desk. Surprisingly that means that I have quite a bit to work with - ahem! As I'll be building a Project Life album during 2013, all of my card and paper scraps have been 're-sized' to either 3x4 or 4x6. As I'm a little bit nervous about combining brighter colours and heavy patterns with my photographs and ephemera, I've stuck to a large palette of neutrals, with just a few nods at the reds in the Inspiration Kit.

However, I've gone to town with my embellishments, including a rather electic mix leftover from previous counterfeit kits - including brads, buttons and floral cabachons. I've also included some brighter die-cuts from Elle's Studio and Dear Lizzy, some washi tape and baker's twine. It's actually quite an exciting little mix of goodies!

Even if we are already half way through the month, I have no doubt that I'm going to be using a fair chunk of this little kit. I'm really looking forward to discovering what will and won't work in a Project Life album and to re-discovering my mojo. No doubt it's hiding somewhere underneath all the rubbish on my desk!

Counterfeit Card Kit {Counterfeit Kit Challenge}

I love the process of putting together my kits for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge each month so given the opportunity to put together a Card Kit, based on this month's Inspiration Kit, I became a little bit excited! Another kit to put together? Where do I sign? 

I wanted a card kit that would work well with my main kit because I knew that I'd eventually want to start mixing things together, especially when it comes to all the little leftovers. With that in mind, I started with some 6x6 papers from Studio Calico's Heydey and Dear Lizzy's Neopolitan, which will co-ordinate perfectly with the selection I put into my main kit. Some amazingly awesome patterned papers from Lawn Fawn's Dewey Decimal Collection and Ils' Summer Dreamer, along with some plain cardstock in complementary colours added more options, but not so many that I'll feel overwhelmed!

I used this 3 x3 Envy Template to emulate the cute, little envelopes in the Inspiration Kit. Then used the rest of the sheets to make some card bases to fit - I do like my mini-cards! 

As I still had a lot of embellishments, including ribbon and buttons in my main kit, so I went with an ecelectic mix of little stickers, rosettes, resin flowers and leaves that were just 'hanging around' on my desk and then threw in a couple of plain washi tapes for good measure. 

No card kit is complete without some multi-purpose stamps, so I've included two sets from Lawn Fawn's recent release - Happy Everything which literally covers all eventualities - seriously, no card-maker should be without this little gem of a stamp set -  and A Birdie Told Me, which makes a lovely change from using banners and labels.

So, although it might be nearly the end of the month, I still have some counterfeiting to share with you before the next inspiration kit is revealed on the 5th October. Stick with me.

You Can Go Your Own Way {September's Counterfeit Kit}

It's my favourite day of the month - the day of the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Inspiration Kit Reveal - and this time around I'm the Guest Designer. I'm just a little bit excited! This month, we're counterfeiting The August 2012 Kit from Birds Of A Feather and choosing three extra elements from CHA Summer 2012.

The first thing that you'll probably notice about my Counterfeit Kit is that it looks nothing like the inspiration kit - and that's a little unusual for me. Normally, I will follow the inspiration kit fairly closely, taking my inspiration from the colours, patterns and embellishments to make up a kit which, if not exactly the same, at least resembles the original. I tried to do that this time around and just ended up with a kit that I knew I would never, ever use. I loved each of the individual pieces, but as a kit, they just weren't inspiring me.

So, I knew that I needed a different approach second time around. I looked at each of the elements from the inspiration kit and chose the one that I loved the most - Studio Calico's 'Cubical'. From there, in the same way that I normally approach the full inspiration kit, I worked with the colours and patterns contained with that one piece of patterned paper to build a counterfeit kit that I absolutely adore.

And that's one of the best parts of creating your own kits, if it doesn't inspire you, you haven't lost anything. You can put all of your papers and pretty embellishments away and start again if you want to! 

I've included a lot of embellishments in my kit - or a least a lot for me - taking my cues from the inspiration kit, but giving them a personal twist. I've included baker's twine, but changed the colours to work with my patterned papers and card-stock; the cute wire hangers have been substituted with some heart shaped paper-clips that have been in my stash for too long; and the Maya Road Pennants have been replaced with some Elle's Studio Pennant Labels and dinky, little banner that I handmade using stamps from Lawn Fawn's Bannerific and my trusty sewing machine. I've also added in four different alphas, buttons, beads, a little bit of bling and some pretty journalling cards from a selection of free downloads at Write. Click. Scrapbook.

To call my kit complete, I just need to decided on three things that had caught my eye from the latest CHA. Easier said than done, right? I finally narrowed down my wish list to the Plano Cling Stamp by Hero Arts/Studio Calico, which I've substituted with another Hero Arts Doily Stamp that was in my collection; the Heyday Thoughts Stamps from Studio Calico (specifically the uber-cool chevron style arrow) which I've substituted with the amazing Arrows Stencil from Sodalicious; and the cute, little Die-cut & Canvas Flowers from Basic Grey's Serenade Collection which I've handmade using several sizes of paper punches and a little bit of bling.

I'll be sharing a tutorial for the flowers (the simplest tutorial of all time!) along with a tutorial on creating your own pennant banner over the next week. I'll make sure that the tutorials appear in the September Mr. Linky, so that you know when to pop back. 

Now, I don't know about you, but I am dying to find out how the Master Forgers have got along creating their own versions of the inspiration kit (and, of course, I'm looking forward to seeing all of your versions very soon!) Your next stop is the lovely Crystal over at Creations Of My Heart, but you can always return to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge, if you get lost along the way. Go be inspired!

Notts Weekend Mini Book

For the last couple of weeks, I've been working on turning my July Counterfeit Kit into a mini book recording our beautiful Nottingham Weekend. Lots of cutting, corner chomping, stamping and sticking later and I've finally finished. There's a lot of pages packed into one little mini book, so I've only included a few photographs. (Here's the whole Notts Weekend Mini, if you're interested.)

I very much wanted the emphasis to be on the photographs and the journalling - and, I've included a lots of journalling cards to make space for those all important stories. There's still a few more stories to add in - and I'd especially like to have The Steve write a few of them. I'm conscious that I don't often include our stories from his point of view!

Because there's so many pages, I've kept my embellishments to a minimum, using my favourite Lawn Fawn sets - Bon Voyage, Bannerific and Say Cheese Too, along with some of the smaller doily shapes from the Unity set Blossom Stackers. There's some teeny bits of bling too, just to add some, but not too much, dimension and some continuity between the pages.

The Sassafras and Lily Bee Alphas from my Counterfeit Kit were also the perfect sizes to include mini-titles on some of my pages, highlighting important photographs and adding a little bit of texture.

Getting seriously excited by the idea of a new Counterfeit Kit which will be 'revealed' on Sunday. Between you and me, I become a little obsessed with the 'refresh' button on the 5th of each month!

Country Walk {July's Counterfeit Kit}

This month's Counterfeit Kit inspiration was the beautiful 'Summer Boardwalk Kit' from Citrus Twist - a new kit club that shows a lot of promise! The inspiration kit was full of cardstock and patterned papers in blue, peach and a little bit of mustard - and was also packed with extras and embellishments. All in all, a little bit swoonsome.

The colours in the kit reminded me of the photographs from my Nottingham Weekend and, deciding that I wanted to make a mini-album, I went rummaging through my pile of scraps, instead of working my way through my pile of patterned papers and cardstock.

The result is a small, but perfectly formed, Mini Counterfeit Kit 'Country Walk'. The kit includes four full sheets of cardstock in white, blue, light grey and dark grey and samples of papers from American Crafts, Echo Park, Prima, Crate Paper and We Are Memory Keepers. 

There are two sets of Mini Market Alphas from October Afternoon and a set of Sassafras Cardstock Stickers. Embellishment wise, I've included My Minds' Eye Brads, Prima Flowers and American Crafts Delights. There are also a soft cream organza ribbon, vintage buttons, doilies, white flower beads and a handmade mustard colour yo-yo flower.

So keen to get started on preparing my mini-album, I'd already cut down and rounded all of my scraps before remembering to take a photograph of my kit papers, so there's also a small pile of off-cuts that match my album pages which will be perfect for creating additional embellishments, traditional layouts or cards. It's nice to have a few options!

A Little Leftover Loveliness {Bead Table Wednesday}

Operation Tackle That Beadstash have declared the month of June to be 'Leftovers Month' and so, we are encouraging everyone to rummage around in their beadstash, and make something pretty with the random bits and pieces that they find. 

So, hoping to lead by example, I had a little dig around in stash over the weekend - and came up with several bags of wooden beads which were leftover from when I started beading. Nestled in there, amongst those cheap wooden beads, was a beautiful, little focal that I'd completely forgotten about - who said poking around in your past was a bad thing? 

It took a little while to sort the beads into usable piles - and there were a few truly ugly beads that had to be discarded along the way. There was then a little bit of trial and error as I worked through a couple of patterns until I came up with a design (and length) that I was happy with as a necklace.

In the end, I opted to string the beads onto a some copper wire, as it held the shape of the necklace far better than any of my beading threads - and it allowed me to shape a button clasp that wouldn't stretch with time. Happily, I think it compliments the wooden beads well!

I can't quite believe that, after all this time, the wooden beads that I had banished to the bottom of my beading box have finally made a re-appearance and I've turned them into a piece of jewellery that I actually like. Just the incentive I need to have another rummage!

The 'I'm Not So Sure About This' Counterfeit Kit

I've been eagerly awaiting the 'reveal' of the kit that the ladies at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge chose to use as their inspiration this month, but I really wasn't sure how I felt about the Work In Progress Kit that they chose. It just didn't call out my name like the other kits they've counterfeited.

Normally, I'll base my counterfeits on either colour, pattern or theme and will choose the elements that appeal to me. But, alas not much about the kit really did apppeal.

So I thought about it for a couple of days and realised that, the oddly 'bright, but dull' colours (and I do realise how weird that sounds) combined with the fact this is a kit obviously designed for people scrapping their children, were the main things putting me off counterfeiting it - it's definitely not a kit I would normally swoon at. I was far more excited about the Mother's Kit, so watch out for that appearing soon!

Anyway, not to be put off, I've pulled together a smaller kit which nods towards the original, pulling out some papers with the same base colours - red, black, yellow and aqua - I've also added some cream and kraft. There's also sheet of scrabble themed paper which I got free with a magazine a little while ago.

The original kit was a little short on embellishments and, although I've added a few tickets and labels, I've kept it that way - mainly because I think I'll end up using this kit for card making and I tend to keep my cards clean and simple. By far the most exciting part of my kit is the Say Cheese Too stamp set which arrived through my door this morning!

You never know though, I might end up loving all of the projects that I create from this kit and that's what counts, right?

Leftovers Make Pretty Projects

Last week, I had a big spring clean of the craft room - in which I pulled apart some 'never going to get finished, because I don't like them' crafty projects; reorganised some of my smaller items of stash; and finally started putting away the leftovers from previous projects that were messing up my mojo.

By Monday, my craft room looked clean and tidy, but there was still a large pile of odds and ends - paper scraps, embellishments, etc - on my desk. I just couldn't summon up the energy to put them away, I really wanted to get on with some actual crafting.

So, having already learnt the lesson that Leftovers Make Pretty Projects, I challenged myself to create three cards from all that scrappy stash. Though attempting three cards originally sounded like quite the challenge for someone who used to be afraid of cards, in the end it was quicker and far more enjoyable than tidying it all away. The only extras I used were a couple of stamp sets.

I think I need to employ this technique a little more often - I get such a kick from using up bits other people might throw away. Mini cards are definitely the way forward!

How about you? Do you make an effort to use your scraps? Am I preaching to the converted?

Tackling That Beadstash....

A little later than expected (due to the fact I forgot to hit the publish button after writing my draft blogposts!) I've introduced a new feature called Bead Busting Monthly over on the Operation Tackle That Beadstash blog.

When Sarah started the blog, her main aim was to help other beaders to tackle their bead stash one goal at a time. As the blog has grown, our individual goals have become a little less prominent and the contributing team has made a decision to go back to it's roots. But we wanted to make sure that we involve the blog's followers too - after all who doesn't want to see the beautiful things other people are making? And we all need a little bit of encouragement to dust off the beads we've been keeping for a 'special' project and just use them, right?

As for my own goals, this month they are quite simple. I'd like to focus on completing the bead embroidery piece I started for the April Moodboard; I'd like to create something for the May Moodboard and I'd like to finish a blue version of my Safety Pin Bracelet - the beaded pins have been sat there for months!

Wanna join us in some bead stash busting? What will your goals be?

Playing Along With Color Cue

After a bit of a tidy in the craft room, I've a big pile of project leftovers on my desk that I can't be bothered to put away properly. So, I decided that I'd challenge myself to make cards from the bits and pieces I had to hand and, as I've not played along with any blog challenges for a while, I went on a little hunt for some extra inspiration.

You can expect a few more cards to pop up here over the next couple of days, but I wanted to share the card I made for Color Cue 14. It's stupidly simple card, but I'm beginning to realise that I like a lot of embellishment on my layouts, not on my cards. Who'd have thought?

Although this is the first time I've played along with the Color Cue challenges, I think I've finally hit my card making groove and I'll be playing along a little more frequently. Yay!

Believe In Good Things {Counterfeit Challenge Blog Hop}

If you're stopping by as part of the Counterfeit Kit blog-hop then 'Hello. Hi. Welcome.' If you haven't heard of the Counterfeit Kit Challenge then, oh my, you've been missing out! The idea is to create your own scrapbooking kits from stash, using some of the most popular kits available as inspiration. And, despite the fact that I've not yet spent a single penny, I've been creating with some fabulous combinations I would never have normally used; had access to mini-challenges all month long; and become part of a growing on-line community. Sounds good, right?

When I started scrapbooking, I often saved links to layouts that I loved and I would try to emulate those layouts when I sat down to scrap - only, I'd never really like them because they never seemed to measure up to the original! As I've become more confident in my own style, I've relied less and less on the idea of scraplifting - though I still love looking at other people's layouts - and I've started to love my own layouts, simply because they reflect who I am. I no longer feel as though my layouts have to look a certain way or they 'won't be good enough.'

So, I went back to my old layouts and chose one that I love - just because it was one that really feels like my own - and copied it. The colours might be a little different, but it's still bright and cheerful. And, since I've only used one piece of cardstock, plus scraps and a few embellishments (all the last few in their packets) it's the perfect use for all of those scraps we accumulate while using our kits!

Now, I'm off to the next stop on the blog-hop - Kathy-Jo - to check out what she's been creating, but if you'd like to make sure that you're not missing out you can head back to the beginning at the Counterfeit Kit Challange.

Make A Simple Necklace Tidy {Waste Not Wednesday}

I know that I've been neglecting my little blog for the past few months but spring has finally sprung; my mojo is back and there is light at the end of the 'huge piece of work that has been killing my social life' tunnel. So, at the weekend, I decided that a little spring clean of the craft room was in order and one of my first tasks was to come up with somewhere to put some of my finished jewellery.

As someone who likes to design her own stuff, I'm often a little short on space to keep all of the necklaces and bracelets that I make and I absolutely hate it when they get tangled after being thrown in a drawer or jewellery box. I knew that I really needed somewhere to hang them, so I rummaged around in my stash until I found a piece of binder from an old diary and then pulled down a piece of artwork that usually hangs above my desk. The result is a cute, but ever so simple, solution.

Now make your own version using my (almost) completely redundant how-to. You all know how to punch holes, right?

You'll Need

Artwork - My little tongue in cheek beauty came from the 31 Experiment almost two years ago. It's still there and downloadable but if it doesn't float your boat try Feed Your Soul for similar, free art work.
Binder - from an old diary or photo album.
Cardstock - in whatever size you have handy.
Hole punch or crop-o-dile.
Drawing pins or ribbon.
Pencil.

1. Print your graphic onto your cardstock. (I'm easing you in gently.)

2. Line up your binder with the base of the cardstock. If the binder isn't long enough to cover the base completely either center it or cut it into two and line up against the edges. Whatever works best for you.

3. An old page or cover from the diary will help you line up the holes or you can mark the base of the cardstock where you will need to punch holes by marking it with pencil where the 'prongs' touch the page.

4. Punch holes. (Shocking that that came next, right?)

5. Pass the binder through the holes in your cardstock, making sure that you 'thread' the binder through the holes from front to back.

6. Use drawing pins or ribbon to hang and then stand back and admire your new jewellery hanger, made in a matter of minutes.

Such a simple project, but believe me it makes a huge difference to the tidiness of my craft room and, surprisingly, all of my guests have commented on how much they like the idea. There's lots of ways that you can personalise it with your choice of graphic or by embellishing with your scrapbooking stash.

As always, let me know if you have any questions. And, I'd love to know if you try this or any of my other Waste Not Wednesday projects. They're over there in the right hand side bar, in case you're wondering :)

Bee-oo-tiful

Since putting together my counterfeit kits, I've been dying to work with my version of 'Wildflower'. It's no surprise that it was my favourite of the kits I put together - and in fact - when I've been visiting other counterfeiters, it's generally been my favourite of their kits too!

I started with one of the many photographs I took on a beautiful weekend. One I will never, ever forget. Since the memories of that weekend are so special, I decided to be really, really brave and pulled out my favourite piece of cardstock - Japanese Tea Garden from Basic Grey's Pheobe collection and used that as a base for my layout. I added in a page from an old children's books and a journalling sheet from My Mind's Eye, plus several partial sheets of patterned paper from my kit.

I distressed the edges of my cardstock using my craft knife and then blended some inks onto the book page to give it an aged, antiquey look. It's the first time I used my new distress inks and I'm so pleased with how they turned out - something actually worked!

I swapped out the large flower from my original kit and replaced it with a pink one, then combined it with a couple of handmade flowers from last month's kit. The one I hardly used. I also added in some leaves, some of fabric and some of polymer clay - both of which have been in my stash for quite some time.

Of course, I knew that I wouldn't be able to resist adding in embellishments once I started (which is why I tried not to act smug when visitors congratulated me on keeping my kit embellishments to a minimum!) But I think that the freedom to add in bits and pieces is what makes the whole process fun. Besides, it's all from stash, so it's all good.

A Little Something To Share

You know what really makes me happy? Making something new out of things that would otherwise be thrown away or over-looked. I've no idea where this love of busting stash came from, but it really floats my boat!

I sat down last night with several pieces of card that had been 'ruined' by my practice attempts with my new Cosmic Shimmer Mists. I cut them down into tag shapes, then added a ton of teeny, tiny paper scraps and mis-matched embellishments to make a cute, dinky, little mini-book for my Learn Something New Every Day album. And, because I haven't used anything new, I'm fulfilling my Stashbusting September obligations as well. Result!

I'm going to add smaller sized photographs and my 'lessons learnt' as and when I manage to have my photographs printed. For now, I'm keeping my notebook handy and jotting everything down everything I learn - like, "Leftovers make pretty projects."

Stash Busting With Shimelle {Scrap Sunday}

Shimelle's new class - Something From (Almost) Nothing - started earlier this week, but I didn't really have opportunity to act on the wonderful, stash busting prompts until last night. Inspiration and enthusiasm was at an all time high though and for a couple of hours I was unbelieveably productive! Here's the evidence -

Our stash busting prompts were all about using up our metal embellishments and our paper scraps. Since, I feel totally at home using up my paper scraps, I hauled out my box full of teeny, tiny (but glorious) scraps of paper and sorted through it looking for some scraps that would co-ordinate with a photograph of my parents - one I've been meaning to scrap for a long time!

Everything, except the base cardstock came from my scrap collection - including the leftover rub-ons and three little bits of bling that have been hanging around since last year. I added some stitching and some of my favourite scrap flowers to give the layout a little bit of depth and I'm really happy with how 'sunny' it feels.

Feeling really spurred on by completing the layout, I thought I'd tackle metal embellishments. Since the embellishments I used were things I use most of the time anyway, I decided to give myself an extra little challenge to make some cards.

I've never made cards before and, for some reason, I didn't feel all that confident. I mainly used the scraps that were left over from creating my layout (bonus points?) and added just a couple of embellishments - pins and brads - to give the cards a finished look. And, I'm so happy with the results that I'll definitely be making more cards.

What do you think folks?

Stashed Away {Scrap Sunday}

A couple of week ago, I decided that it was time to spring clean the craft room and sort through some of my craft stash. Over the winter, the room had become a bit of a dumping ground and all the surfaces - including the floor - were covered with leftovers from previous projects. I spent a whole day sorting, sifting and re-organising and found a lot of stash that I'd completely forgotten about. I love that. It's a bit like finding a £10 note in the pocket of a coat you only wear occasionally!

However, I realised just how much stash I have that I bought when I started scrapbooking - stamps, chipboard flowers, eyelets, brads and patterned papers - that don't really suit the style of scrapbooking I've come to think of as 'my style'. And, although I'm making a huge effort to use up some of my craft stash in my Waste Not Wednesday tutorial series, I've been wondering how I'm going to use up my stickers, my pile of sheet music or my box full of sequins.

Luckily, I have some truly wonderful friends! After a week of suffering from horrid headaches, the lovely Mel from I Speak Melsh cheered me up by signing me up for Shimelle's new scrapbooking class - Something From (Almost) Nothing. What a welcome surprise!

The class is designed to help you use up your existing stash and some of the sneak peeks look absolutely divine. I am so excited - the class looks fantastic and I'm thrilled that Mel and I will be doing the class at the same time. It will be so nice to meet up, work on our prompts, swap stash and eat cake. Eating cake is obligatory and has become the foundation of our friendship!

Class starts on Wednesday. In the meantime, I'm sharpening my pencils, covering my exercise books and wondering if there'll be any cute boys in class!