January 2026 - Just the Gist of It

Hello!  Now you've seen our inspiration kit for the month and how the Master Forgers took on the challenge.  Have you begun to create your own counterfeit kit yet?  If you're struggling with how to start, today's post is for you.  I'm going to show you how I put together my kit for the month.

Before we start, let's take a look at the inspiration kit, Curiosities in Willow Grove by Vicki Boutin for 49 and Market.

                                

There are A LOT of great elements in the inspiration kit.  The papers are amazing, too.  When I start my kit, I usually pick out a paper that includes the colors I want to represent in my kit. For me, this was the library card-ish paper.  I found something similar in my stash and built on from there.  A book is included in the ephemera of the inspiration kit, and I found a patterned paper with books in similar colors as my initial paper.  Perfect!

Here are the patterned papers that I chose.

Next are the solid papers.

I pulled a handful of stamps I think I might use.

I'm in love with wood veneer and want to use some this month.

I have a ton of leftover embellishments from Vicki Boutin's Flower Emporium, so I included them in this kit, in hopes of using them up.  I also pulled some labels and puffy hearts.

A girl can never have too many options for alphas.  I was sure to pull a BUNCH of alpha stickers in different colors and sizes.  I even selected a couple of alphabet stamps to hopefully use.

Finally, I found that I still had quite a bit of the Fernwood collection, and it happened to have butterflies and a cool magnifying glass.  I am including that collection in this month's counterfeit kit to see what I can use.

I feel like my kit took on a life of its own and that's okay.  The counterfeit kit doesn't have to perfectly match the inspiration kit.  It's okay to add an element of your own.  Also, don't be afraid to keep adding to your kit as you see fit.  I see a lot of opportunity for forgeries this month.  I'll definitely be creating some things to use in my kit.

I'll see you back here on the fourth to take a look at forgeries created by the Master Forgers.

 Be sure to come back and see everything we're doing on the blog this month.  

• 4th January  - Forgeries on the Fourth: Creating elements from the inspiration kit using your own stash
• 6th January - Mini Kit & Project Reveal:  See how the Master Forgers create a smaller version of the inspiration kit
• 12th January - Challenge #1 - Use Those Doilies!
• 18th January - Challenge #2 - 2026 Goals
• 22nd January - Sketch Challenge  
• 28th January - February Sneak Peak
• 30th January - Baby, Use Those Scraps 

The Master Forgers love to see what you create.  Share on our Facebook Community Find us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge and tag us in your posts #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcjanuary2026.

Happy Scrapping!

Master Forger Vikki