Porch Ramblings

by Machelle Willingon October 31, 2021May 22, 2025

Time just seems to go faster every year. I can’t believe it’s the end of October already! This was a busy month, so here is a roundup of my completed papercrafting projects.

First of all, I was selected as the Guest Designer for this month’s Counterfeit Kit Challenge. You can see the inspiration kit & my take on it by going to this blog post.

As well as making a kit, I also participated in the two challenges. The first challenge was to pick a title from their list and use it as our inspiration. I picked “Ordinary Moments”, which was actually a stretch for me as most of my scrapbook pages are about events, holidays, birthdays, etc. It just so happens I had recently printed some random everyday photos from different times to use in a gift album and they were perfect for this title.

"Ordinary Moments" double page scrapbook layout for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1, October, 2021

The second challenge was to see how many tags and labels we could use on our project. I managed to get 4 on an 8×8 scrapbook page.

8x8 scrapbook layout for Counterfeit Kit's 2nd Challenge, October, 2021. Part of my Papercrafting projects roundup post.

I always enjoy seeing the new inspiration kits & how everyone interprets them. There are so many options for a starting point; color, theme or one particular paper or embellishment.

I also hosted a Creative Memories Croptoberfest this month in my Facebook VIP Group. I started with a Scrapbook Bingo Card and posted a new challenge every hour. Below are my papercrafting projects for each of the challenges.

Scrapbook Bingo Card for Croptoberfest; Papercrafting Projects roundup post

The first challenge was to make a kit for either a page layout or cardmaking. I decided to go with a card kit. Here is the kit along with the card I made with it.

Thinking of You Card made with a card kit for Croptoberfest 2021. Layered patterned paper and cardstock with a doily, enamel dots and stamped sentiment.

I always think of a kit as just a starting point. As I am in the process of creating, sometimes I think of other things in my stash that would go perfectly with the current project or I realize that something in the kit is just not working and I need to swap it out with something similar.

That happened with this card, I just knew that the brown ink would look great with the brown accents of the patterned paper but it wasn’t stamping properly with my sentiment stamp, so I had to change it out for my black ink pad. Problem solved!

I also had some sketch challenges – a one-page layout, two-page layout & card sketches. For these sketches I stayed pretty true to the originals but again, most of the time I use these as a starting point and the end result doesn’t look much like the original.

One page scrapbook layout for a sketch challenge Small Town Scrap Croptoberfest, 2021

Double page scrapbook layout for sketch challenge Croptoberfest, 2021

There were also some organizing and sharing challenges but these were all the papercrafting projects for my event.

I have felt more productive creatively lately and hope to have more projects and inspiration to share soon. I have also been working on changing out my albums and gifting some of the pages I have made over the years to the family members they are about.

Come back soon to see more of that process. Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

Scrapbooking

by Machelle Willingon October 1, 2021May 22, 2025

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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?

Scrapbook supplies; stickers, patterned paper, cardstock, die cuts, journal cards, enamel dots - Counterfeit Kit October, 2021

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:

Patterned scrapbook paper - Counterfeit Kit October, 2021

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:

Scrapbook supplies; cardstock in gold, dark teal, light blue, pink and yellow - Counterfeit Kit October, 2021

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:

Scrapbook supplies; cut apart sheets, die cuts, journal cards, tags, labels - Counterfeit Kit October, 2021

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://smalltownscrap.com/wp/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

Photo Management Scrapbooking

by Machelle Willingon September 7, 2021May 22, 2025

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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

Photo Management

by Machelle Willingon July 4, 2021May 22, 2025

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All in One Place

In order to be able to enjoy & share your photos you first have to be able to find them. To find your photos easily it’s important to get them all in one place. Make sure that your photos are downloaded from your phone, tablet and camera & then scan any older photo prints. If you have negatives or slides, those can be converted into digital as well, if they are precious memories you would hate to lose.

I talk about my preference for online photo storage in a previous post about Forever . It’s important that you have a system that will automatically download your pictures from your phone & tablet, then you can upload your camera photos after each event or on a monthly schedule.

So, how do you find your photos?

After making sure your photos are backed up, you want to think about how they are organized. How do you search for a certain photo when you are ready to use or share it? Do you think – I want the photo we took at a cousin’s graduation? Maybe you just want a few photos of your mom, or you know it was a Christmas picture but not sure what year. Maybe you do know the year a picture was taken & that is they easiest way for you to find your photos. These categories will be unique to you and can be anything you wish. Film Strip with photos of a graduation, family & Christmas; blog post on Small Town Scrap - How to Easily Find Your Photos

It is also helpful if the program you use to store your pictures has multiple ways of searching as well as facial recognition and tagging capabilities. A rating system is also helpful, so you can find your best photos fast.

Find your photos with categories:

Once you know how you search, decide on categories – start with broad ideas as you can always add more detailed ones later. Do you want to group chronologically (by year), within families or events?

My categories are based loosely on Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories system. I have major categories of Us & Pets, People We Love, Places & Things, then more detailed categories under these with individual family names, events (graduations, weddings), holidays, etc.

I talk about that a little bit and have screenshots of my categories from the computer program Historian . I have been using this program for about 20 years and love it. It makes finding my pictures easy & I can also edit them or crop them if I want to print different sizes. I have typed up a worksheet with a list of examples of my categories to use as a guide, as well as a blank worksheet for you to fill in your own. Just click on the links to download a copy.

Once you get your current photos organized into the categories you choose it becomes easier to add new pictures on a regular basis. Then when you want to share a picture to social media, print one to frame or even make a scrapbook or photobook, you can find just the perfect photo(s) for your project!

Remember, back up your photos (don’t rely on Facebook!), organize them into categories that make sense for you & your family & then share & enjoy them in whatever way is meaningful to you.

If you would like any help getting started organizing your photos, please leave me a message on the Contact Us page to schedule a free one-on-one consultation call or you can follow me on social media to get more tips and information about photo management and scrapbooking your family’s memories.

Until next time,

Machelle

Scrapbooking

by Machelle Willingon March 14, 2021March 10, 2025

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** 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