August 2026 - Mini Kits and Project Reveal

 Hello friends! 

You have had a few days to take a look at the kits that the Master Forgers have put together - and hopefully had some time to put one together yourself -- but not to fear - if you don't have the time to play with a full kit this month -- put together a mini! 

Here are the photos of our inspiration for August:

Let's take a look at what Master Forger Tara, and Master Forger Christine came up with for their Mini kits!

Master Forger Tara

I think that this might be my smallest mini kit yet.  I only pulled four sheets of patterned paper and two packs of ephemera plus three alphas!!  Here's the photo of my kit:

 

 For my first layout, I knew that I wanted to use my pink swirl patterned paper.  It reminds me of ice cream and summer!  I also knew that I was going to stitch on it!!!  Here's the finished layout:

 

 

My second layout is fairly simple.  It's also only a one photo layout but I used a 4x6.  Here's the finished layout:

 

My final layout uses scraps from the previous two plus a little more ephemera and the scripty font.  I consider a kit bashed when I use all of my paper.  I managed to do that and the rest of the ephemera will go back into the original Hip Kit Club kit.  The alphas will go back into my rainbow ordered thickers as well. 

 

 I did create a process video for this kit and layouts and you can view that HERE!!! 

Master Forger Christine

I went true "mini" on this one, pulling just 3 full pattern paper sheets (one of which was a tag sheet), a paper scrap, a leftover sticker sheet, some puffy stickers, black letter stickers, and little ephemera.  I was also proud to have found yellow pom pom in my stash!

For my mini, I was inspired by the lemon elements and the tags in the inspiration kit.  And as I mentioned, I made sure to pull some black letter stickers and a similar sticker sheet to the inspo.

I had such fun with this kit and got 3 layouts out of it!  (I did end up having to pull a couple of solid cardstock from my stash - white, yellow, and aqua.)

This is the first layout where I used that piece of white cardstock. To make my supplies go a little farther, I gutted the center of the pink diagonal plaid paper to use on another project, but it still made a great frame around the page. I also made sure to include the citrus paper I'd pulled because I couldn't resist pairing it with the "Main Squeeze" puffy sticker for this sweet photo of my hubby and me. The layered tags, twine, and scattered hearts add just the right amount of playful movement, and I love how they keep your eye traveling around the page.

For my second layout, I used the aqua cardstock along with the frame I had gutted from the first layout to get the citrus paper. I even repurposed the square I had cut out of the first layout's frame by trimming it into two banners, which let me show off both the A and B sides of that pretty patterned paper. I love finding ways to stretch my supplies and get every bit of a paper into a project!

I also pulled in several stickers from the sticker sheet, including the dragonfly, frog, and snail. Those little critters were the perfect embellishments since they're such a common sight during our rainy season. The photos capture a pair of ducks that decided to make themselves at home in the temporary "ponds" that formed around our property after all the rain. Sometimes the best memories come from the unexpected visitors!

My final layout uses the full sheet of yellow cardstock along with the leftover aqua cardstock from the previous layout, so nothing went to waste! Since I had already used all of the full-size patterned papers, this was the perfect opportunity to dive into the tag sheet I had included in my kit. The four tags became the foundation of the design, giving me lots of places to mix and match the remaining patterns.

I finished the page with the large "Beautiful" ephemera title, a few stickers, and some butterflies to tie everything together. (And can you spot the little pom pom detail under her photo?). This was such a sweet way to document a favorite photo of my baby, Cleo, sitting in the window. With the butterflies floating around her, it almost looks like she's watching them flutter just outside. Sometimes the simplest photos tell the sweetest stories.

All I had left of my mini kit was two tags, a partial sheet of puffies and stickers.  I so enjoyed using this inspiration kit this month!

If you want to watch me create these layouts.  Check out my process video here.

Here's what we have coming up this month:

• 12th - Challenge #1: Summer Adventure
• 18th - Challenge #2: Let's get a little Messy
• 22nd - Challenge #3: Let's Get Sketchy
• 30th - Baby Use Those Scraps

We'd love to see what you create! Share your projects in the Counterfeit Kit Community on Facebook or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge.  #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcAugust2026

I can't wait to see what you come up with - I hope you will play along with your stash! 

Happy Scrapping!  XO Amanda Bass