Word of the Year 2023

Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1

Welcome back! It’s time for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1 for November. The theme for this challenge was “Life Right Now” using the Pinkfresh Studio embellishment pack from the inspiration kit.

Be sure to visit their blog (link above) for lots of ideas and approaches for how to make a kit from your stash & then play along with their challenges to see how everyone uses their supplies.

There are so many ways to interpret this challenge – you could do a “currently” page about what you are reading or watching, current projects you are working on or what your hobbies look like right now.

Then there is the literal what is happening in your life, maybe at work, school or church. A group you are part of, like a book club or exercise class. Maybe you are somewhere that Fall is in full swing and you could do a page about the changing of the seasons.

You could also interpret that as a season of life you are in, such as a new parent or empty nester.

I decided to do a two-page layout documenting our “Life Right Now” fostering a puppy. It has been quite a while since we’ve had a puppy and we couldn’t have asked for a better foster.

We are volunteers with a great rescue group called Texas Husky Rescue. Their motto is #savemorehuskies. We do some behind the scenes work for them but haven’t fostered since we “failed” with our dog Haley.

A few weeks ago; however, a plea came in for 5 puppies that the rescue couldn’t take unless they had dedicated fosters. So we ended up transporting 3 puppies for a 2 hour car ride! That was an experience for sure.

Two of the puppies went to other foster homes & we kept one. All of them were very laid back for puppies and especially husky puppies. We didn’t have him long though. After just about a month, he found his forever home.

I was very excited to dig into my kit “Everyday” for the counterfeit kit challenge #1 & use some of the papers and die cuts. I was able to use two 12×12 patterned papers for the background and a couple of the cardstock pieces for the layers and triangles.

I also used lots of cute puppy pics in various sizes. I like using a few square photos mixed in with the regular 4×6 size.

I did pull some pet embellishments from my stash that were not part of the original kit; however, I also used several of the circle die cut pieces and both of the little notebook journal cards.

I also used the “This is the Life” 4×4 card that I have had for YEARS from an old Simple Stories collection.

I am really pleased with how this layout came out & am looking forward to using up some more of this kit soon.

If you participate in the Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1, be sure to leave a comment or a picture of what your “Life Right Now” looks like.

Be sure to check back in soon!

Machelle #1

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking Traditional

November 1, 2022

10 comments

November 2022 Counterfeit Kit

Hey there! I am excited to be the Guest Designer once again for the November 2022 Counterfeit Kit Challenge. I always enjoy playing along with their challenge to use your stash.

This month the kit was picked by Lisa Hausmann & this is what she had to say about the inspiration kit:

“I wanted to find a different kit – something that can take us in different direction depending on where we are and how we feel about this time of year – you know that this is my FAVOURITE time of year and I think it has the right hint of autumn for me!”

Here is the kit that Lisa chose:

Scrapbook Werkstatt – October 2022 – Herbstzauber

It is a bright, colorful kit with cut apart sheets, lots of die cuts and gold letter stickers. It also has a cozy feel with sentiments about self-care, road trips & life right now.

Color is always the first thing that catches my eye, so I pulled some colors from one of the cut apart sheets & then added in a LOT of die cuts, some stickers, enamel dots and flowers. I even had a sheet of gold letter stickers.

So here is my version of the kit:

November 2022 Counterfeit Kit: “Everyday”

Now lets break it down a little so you can really see the details.

For the papers, I tried to pull some of the colors but also the patterns. There was a lot of variety in the inspiration kit. There are some circles, stripes and a ledger print. I have added some solid scraps and a flower cut apart as well.

Next are the stickers. I had a couple of partially used sticker sheets with labels, tags and coupons. There are sentiments for family, travel and life in general. Also included are the gold letter stickers.

Now let’s look at some of the die cuts. I admit I went a little overboard here, but I have SO many of these type embellishments in my stash. There were quite a few in the inspiration kit, too.

There are some 3×4 cards, fun sentiments, circles, gold accents and even a couple of little notebook paper journaling cards.

And, last but not least, we have a few more die cuts, paper flowers & enamel dots.

I hope that this inspires you to make a kit of your own and gives you ideas about different starting points. It can be color, type of supplies or even just the general feeling of the kit.

You can leave a comment or send me a message if you have any questions. Be sure to visit the rest of the designers to see out how they interpreted this month’s inspiration.

Counterfeit Kit Challenge – http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/
Guest Designer – Machelle Willing (that’s me!) – https://www.smalltownscrap.com/blog/
Cindy – https://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com
Julene – http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com
Laura – https://www.instagram.com/mrsp_scrapsandtea/
Leslie – http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com
Lisa – http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com
Tara – https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com
Tina – http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com
Anna – https://youtube.com/c/piececraftlove

Come back soon for some more scrappy news!

Machelle

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking Traditional

July 12, 2022

What is your Why?

Have you ever been asked that question? “What is your why?” It could really be in any context – anything that you have consciously chosen to do. It is a question that is asked a lot in the scrapbooking hobby/community. Why do we choose to document our lives and tell our story? Ask ten different people and you will probably get ten different answers.

One person could have multiple reasons for scrapbooking. For me, it is recording my family history (genealogy), remembering our big events & telling the everyday stories of life. But it is also the creative outlet of playing with paper & all the pretty things just for the fun of it! If you scrapbook or do any kind of memory keeping, what is your why?

A few weeks ago I shared a Family History Index Album on my Instagram feed. I commented that I hoped one of my cousin’s kids would appreciate it one day (I don’t have children of my own). One of my sweet followers, Robyn from Above Rubies or Pearls made this comment: “Who doesn’t like looking at pictures of family members from one’s past, right?”

Now, I’m sure that it was just a rhetorical question, but it made me stop & think. Are there people who really don’t care about their photos? Seeing pictures of their ancestors they have never met or cherishing those few they have of loved ones who have passed? Maybe finding a photo of themselves when they were a baby or a long forgotten school picture?

Photo collage of old pictures for the blog post "What is your why?" on Small Town Scrap

We take so many photos today, sometimes I think some of them get lost in the shuffle. Some of them are priceless memories we should cherish & preserve for future generations. Now, not every photo has to be kept or printed but a few of them do. Little kids get so excited when they see pictures of themselves and older kids get a kick out of seeing their parents when they were young.

It’s always fun for me to see the younger generation looking through one of my albums. There is always laughing, comments about our outfits & hairstyles through the years and questions about who someone is that maybe they never met. When I was young, it was a shoe box that my grandmother kept in the hall closet.

Girls looking through scrapbooks; Small Town Scrap Home page image about why I scrapboook

What is Your Why?

I encourage you to look through your photos and see if any of them stand out as special or meaningful to you. How would it feel if they were printed & in some type of photo book (slide in album, digital photobook or scrapbook) that you & your family could look through and enjoy any time you wanted? Preserving your family memories does not have to be intimidating or hard.

I have a previous post about Story Starter Ideas and a handout you can download if you need some ideas. I also invite you to join me over in the Facebook VIP group.

Do photos “spark joy” for you? If they do, make sure they are safe, organized & enjoyed. Our phones are wonderful for taking photos these days, but they are not a safe place to store them. There are many options for backing up and storing your pictures where they will be safe for years to come. Let me know if you would like some help organizing your photos so that you can find the ones most meaningful when you want to share them. You can message me on the Contact Us page to get started.

So, what is your why? Take a few minutes and think about why you would want to learn more & let me know in the comments.

Until next time,

Machelle

March 20, 2022

3 Story Starter Ideas

Story Starters

So I recently had an idea to start a series on my Facebook page & Instagram called Monday Memories (debuting tomorrow). The idea was to share one or more photos that represent a story and then tell the story behind the photo. This is just to demonstrate that sometimes the story is obvious, like a birthday, wedding, graduation, etc. But sometimes the story is something that happened at the event, something related to a person’s personality (maybe a habit they had or a special bond) or maybe it is a place that is special to you.

Take these three photos, for instance. All three were taken on the same trip at different times. My grandmother, aunt, cousin & I drove from Texas to Missouri to visit extended family one summer vacation.

Photo #1

So the first picture is somewhat obvious – a friend of the family is teaching me how to make a Jacob’s Ladder with string. Now that is the actual interpretation of the picture, but you could also tell a story about how different things are today with kids having cell phones, tablets and computer games versus playing with a piece of string!

Child learning to make a Jacob's Ladder with string; Monday Memories and Story Starter for Small Town Scrap blog

Photo #2

Now this photo is really just a picture of me and my cousin, Janet, with some of my grandmother’s extended family. I do have their names written down & have included this picture on a page about that trip. That takes care of the who, what, where and when, but what you don’t see from the picture is that during the time we were there, there was a carnival in town and the gentleman in the picture took us to play games & ride the rides.

Unfortunately there aren’t any pictures of us at the carnival but when I see this picture, that is the part I remember. For kids our age, that was a highlight of the trip.

Photo #3

Now for the final photo of this group. This is me & my cousin at the Texas State Line on the way home from this trip. I don’t remember how long we had been in the car at this point, but I know we were ready to be done. Now you could simply caption this with “We’re Home!”, but you could also say something about how it was the end of June (in Texas) and we were barefoot and the pavement was HOT!

But the story I think of to wrap up this trip was the fact that we had taken coloring books & crayons on the trip to keep us occupied. Well, it was so hot in the car, my box of brand new 64 count crayons melted. I know if you were a kid back then, that was traumatic!

Me & my cousin at the Texas State Line; Monday Memories and Story Starter for Small Town blog

If you love photos and want to try memory keeping or scrapbooking or even just want to post a couple of family stories on social media, remember that there are multiple ways to start. Anything can spark a memory; a photo, a quote, a place, the list goes on and on. These are your story starters. Every once in a while, try going beyond the basics and tell the story you don’t see.

If you are interested in receiving more memory keeping ideas, please subscribe to my blog. I will send you a handout with three more Story Starter Ideas now and you will also receive my newsletter to help you with saving, organizing and sharing your photos and family stories.

Story Starter Cover Page image

If you would like one-on-one help with your photos, please leave me a message on the Contact Us page for a free consultation.

Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

family stories

October 1, 2021

12 comments

Counterfeit Kit Challenge October 2021

Welcome to October’s Counterfeit Kit Challenge Reveal & Blog Hop! I always look forward to the first of the month because it means a new Counterfeit Kit Challenge and lots of great inspiration from the Master Forgers. I am super excited to be the Guest Designer for this month.

You should have arrived from http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/. There is also a complete list of the Blog Hop on their website as well as at the bottom of this page.

Master Forger Tracey picked a fun, bright & colorful kit from Hip Kit Club – May, 2021. In her words she choose this kit because “it is full of beautiful bright spring colours. There are tags, labels, stickers and fun ephemera die cuts that are all singing out to be forged and scrapped. What really called my name in this kit is the American Craft Paper “Let’s Go” from the Buenos Dias collection, the fun colourful world map has me wanting to reach for some of my many travel photos, it made picking this kit very, very easy.”

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Inspiration Kit

Here are some pictures of May, 2021, Hip Kit Club’s main kit, papers, cardstock & embellishments.

Scrapbook Kit Club - Hip Kit Club for May, 2021

As I was looking at the inspiration kit, several themes jumped out; home, flowers, labels, tags, hearts, banners & words about nature, books, comfort & moments. The bold striped paper on the right of the main kit is what first drew me in & so that’s where I started.

Here is my version of this month’s Counterfeit Kit Challenge: “Life’s Colorful Moments.”

Even though it is very bright, I think it also has a cozy home sort of feel to it. What do you think?

As you can see, it is quite a large kit with patterned papers, cardstock, cut apart sheets, stickers, die cuts, washi strips, enamel dots, journal cards, tags & labels. Let’s break it down so you can get a closer look at each category.

Here are the patterned papers:

While it’s not quite as bold as the striped paper in the inspiration kit, I started with the chevron paper on top because it has a lot of the same colors. This came out of a Heidi Swapp paper pad called “Serendipity” from 2013. I have a lot of really old papers – anybody else?

Several of the other papers came from the same pad, including the bright cut apart sheet. I also pulled in several pink papers & a pretty pink floral. The pink, yellow & green striped paper is actually a self-stick fabric sheet.

The cardstock:

It’s hard to tell in the picture, but I have a dark teal & light teal pulled from the striped inspiration paper and then a bright pink & yellow. On the bottom is a gold glitter paper that I am planning on making a forgery with for CKC’s Forgeries on the Fourth.

The stickers:

There were so many options in the inspiration kit – hearts, butterflies, nature, etc. I think I tried to include them all! I tried to keep to the colors as well as the themes but I did add in basic black letters for titles. There are also washi tape strips and enamel dots.

Cut-aparts, labels & tags:

And last, but not least, I have cut-apart sheets, pocket cards, a package of die cuts, labels & tags. More hearts, butterflies and florals with some word phrases, too. Several of these are from Simple Stories as I am always drawn to the feel of their collections.

As you can see, I went a little overboard but once I started it was hard to stop. These colors and motifs are definitely something I have a lot of in my stash and made this kit come together really well. I can’t wait to actually start creating with it!

Please leave me a comment and let me know if you play along with Counterfeit Kit Challenge. Now, go see what all the other talented ladies have made this month! Next up will be Julene.

Counterfeit Kit Challenge – http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/
Guest Machelle Willing – https://www.smalltownscrap.com/blog/ (you are here)
Julene –http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com
Juliet – https://www.instagram.com/julesd/
Kate – https://kateblue.blogspot.com
Leslie- http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com
Misty – https://craftysoup.com
Tina – http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com
Tracey – https://3obsessions.blogspot.com
Laura – https://www.instagram.com/mrsp_scrapsandtea/
Cindy – http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com

Also, if you want to see more of my Counterfeit Kits, you can read these blog posts – October, 2020 and June, 2020.

Thank you for stopping by! You can also follow along on my Instagram page where I post pictures of some of my projects.

Machelle

Enjoy Your Photos

In my last post, I talked about making sure you can find your photos quickly & easily. So what do you do with them once you have them safe & organized? What are the different ways you share & enjoy your photos? Let’s talk about a few of the options.

**This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase from clicking these links, I will make a small commission. Please know I only recommend products or companies that I personally use and love. You may read my full disclosure here.**

Ways to Enjoy Your Photos:

Of course, there is the most obvious in today’s world – social media. You can post pictures to your Facebook or Instagram to share with your family & friends (or anyone if you have a public account). Here is a photo of our pups, Maverick & Haley, that I shared for #nationaldogday.

Our two Siberian Huskies lounging on their extra large dog bed

I still like having framed photos hanging on the wall or sitting on my bookshelf. I remember having them all over the house when I was growing up. Here is a picture of me before one of my high school Proms, but notice the background – there are pictures everywhere. On the wall, on the faux fireplace, the TV, every available surface. Did your house look like that growing up? Or does it now?

Machelle in the living room dressed up for Prom surrounded by framed pictures on the wall, faux fireplace & TV. Enjoy Your Photos

You can also print them & put them in a regular photo album, so you can flip through it anytime. Kids love to look through albums, especially with pictures of themselves or parents when they were younger. Below is a photo album containing pictures of our honeymoon in Colorado that I ended up not scrapbooking but I still want to keep.

Family Photo Album

There are lots of printing options, too. You can print smaller (2×2, 3×3 or 4×4), larger (5×7, 8×10), canvas prints, prints on glass and more. Then there are the photo gift options like mugs, blankets or puzzles. And let’s not forget about cards (Christmas, birthdays) and invitations (graduations, baby or wedding showers).

Christmas card collage

If you really want to preserve your memories and/or tell your family’s stories, you can make a digital photobook or traditional scrapbook. Either will give you room to document anything from the basics of who, what, when & where to longer narratives about something funny that happened at an event to your feelings about your child’s first step. It can be as much or as little as you want, but I suggest at least the names of the people in the photo, where it was taken & the date. Albums come in a variety of sizes to match your project. Use a mini-album for a top 10 list, a 6 x 8 or 8 x 8 for a graduation or travel book or a 12 x 12 for Project Life or an annual family book. Those are just a few examples as everyone’s story is different.

Several scrapbook albums in various sizes

The why is also important. Was it a holiday, event, or a regular Sunday afternoon? Maybe it was just an everyday moment to capture your routine in this season of your life. Ali Edwards also has projects that capture A Day in the Life or A Week in the Life to help you document your everyday.

12 x 12 Scrapbook layout of the botanical gardens

12 x 12 Scrapbook layout of countryside with deer

One of the reasons I love to scrapbook is to relive the memories, first as I make the pages and again every time I look through an album. There are so many easy ways to enjoy your photos – let me know which is your favorite & then think about another option you could try.

Life can get so busy & rushed, slow down and take some time to look through your photos, pick a few favorites and make a new project. Slipping them in a photo album or making a digital autobook could take less than an hour. I would love to help you get started! Let me know in the comments what option works best for you or which project you decide to try.

Thank you for stopping by to chat!

Machelle

March 14, 2021

Digital Scrapbooking

** This is a sponsored post. Compensation of free digital content was provided by Pixel Scrapper; however, please know I only recommend products or companies that I personally use and love. You may read my full disclosure here. **

Memory Keeping through Digital Scrapbooking

One of the things I love about memory keeping is that there are so many ways to document the pictures and stories of our lives. While I love traditional scrapbooking, I have also found that digital scrapbooking has a lot of advantages.

With digital, once you buy a kit or element you can use it as many times as you would like and it will never run out.
You can make a quick project without pulling out all of your physical supplies.
You can make a “messy” layout without actually making a mess.
Use as many layers as you want without adding bulk to your pages or albums.
Print your pages individually or make a photobook.
Start with templates and just add photos or make a page completely from scratch.

I have dabbled in digital scrapbooking for years and enjoy the process as it is very different from starting with paper supplies. Here are a couple of examples of pages I have made for my scrapbooks:

I have just recently realized all of the other projects digital supplies allow you to do as well. Now I use my software program & supplies constantly for graphics for this website and my social media pages. If you are like me & have trouble with Photoshop, there are several user friendly options for digital software specific to scrapbooking. The one I use is FOREVER Artisan.

In addition to the software, you will need supplies to work with. Just like with traditional scrapbooking, there are unlimited options for papers & embellishments; ribbons, flowers & buttons. The list is endless. One of the best places I have found to get these supplies is a website called Pixel Scrapper. They have several designers and SO many digital scrapbooking kits to choose from. The best part is you can sign up for a monthly subscription and get unlimited downloads per month or you can get a free account and still be able to download up to 5 single elements per day.

Pixel Scrapper Mini Kit - Today; Digital scrapbooking papers and elements

Pixel Scrapper Digital Element; yellow and white striped ribbon folded over and stapled

Pixel Scrapper Digital Element; light blue & peach paper flower

Pixel Scrapper also has a wonderful community board with chats, challenges and freebies. There is a gallery filled with inspiration as well as a section full of tutorials on how to use the supplies or even make your own.

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments or send me an email on the Contact Us page. I would love to know what you think if you go check them out & if you are a digital scrapper post a project in the comments below.

Thank you for stopping by!

Machelle

Scrapbooking

Digital Scrapbooking

November 29, 2020

2 comments

FOREVER Photo Gifts – Coffee Mug

I think I may be the only one holding out this year until after Thanksgiving to even start thinking about Christmas. It seems like everyone has their trees up & lights on the house already. Well, we are working on the tree & I will post pictures soon, but in the meantime I have been working on a gift for my mother-in-law.

I wanted to make a short video to show you how easy it is to make FOREVER photo gifts. Today I’m going to be making a coffee mug. Choosing the pictures you want to use is definitely the hardest part! Click on the video and if you have any questions, please let me know!

FOREVER photo gifts are just the beginning. You can also make digital photo albums, calendars, ornaments or notebooks. Of course, they are known for their online storage with a lifetime guarantee. I would love to help you organize, save and share your photos in a way that works for you. To get your free account and $20 Welcome coupon, you can sign up through my Small Town Scrap Refer a Friend link.

Forever Print Projects; FOREVER Products, Design & Print

Let me know if you would like a one on one consultation & please be sure to leave me a comment or send an email and let me know if this was helpful.

Until next time,

Machelle

Products Scrapbooking

October 22, 2020

October 2020 CKC Layouts