HMITM Challenge #183 - Gifts

UPDATE: Thanks so much to the HMITM team for picking me as the winner this week! Good work to my fellow scrappers who also participated, I think we did a great job at using up our stashes  :)


The challenge over at HMITM this week was fab and fun! You had to include your best/greatest gifts, and also the following list of details:
Frame your page with an edge of background paper, a doodled/stitched border or a frame!
Use at least one stamp/digital brush/rub-on
3 ribbons/strings
6 circles
8 brads or buttons
10 flowers
2 elements that bleed off the page
4 crocheted or felt accents

I really love these challenges because they force you to use a lot of your stash you have lying around!

Originally I had a different plan for this LO, but when I couldn't find the photo I wanted, I looked around... and saw Casper sleeping in with all my scrapbooking stuff - his head on a stack of albums and his body on a pile of markers (crazy cat!)

And I realized, they are really a blessing in my life. They make me so incredibly happy when I come home and they missed me, and I love their little faces and attitudes they are developing. I had to put down my cat of 18 years (I had him since I was 3!) which was a very traumatic experience for me, so I shied away from having a cat. Having these kittens though is perfect. They are so much fun and keep me so happy... I think its true what they say that people with pets live longer... I certainly feel less stressed and happier with them as part of our family :)

So here they are... Casper (the friendly ghost) is the black kitten and Precious is the torti.

So back to the requirements:

Frame your page with an edge of background paper, a doodled/stitched border or a frame! - I doodled using Creative Memories templates for the top and bottom of the page with some pink Studio G glitter glue, and then did the sides free hand to "frame" the page.

Use at least one stamp/digital brush/rub-on - I used the kitten footprint stamp everywhere to add a feeling that they had been there when I made it (Casper was, but he was sleeping). I also stamped originally only on the N of Kitten, and then loved how it looked so went back in and stamped a bunch more times on the letters to make them all look walked on. I love this stamp - its of 4 feet and then has 3 other stamps on the other sides (its a cube stamp) including the little fishbone to the left of the title.
3 ribbons/strings - I used my brand new twine I just received in the mail - one to wrap the photo, one for the bow on the CM journalling card (Cheerful pack), and one to underline the title. I see twine quickly becoming my favourite!
6 circles - I may have cheated here - I am counting the 6 "bling" rhinestones in the frame as my circles.
8 brads or buttons -  There are actually 10 total brads in the LO of 3 different kinds - metallics, rhinestones, and the fabric wrapped one on the large flower.
10 flowers - 10 flowers made of various layers of almost all the paper flowers I have
2 elements that bleed off the page - The little kitten footprint stamp bleeds off the page in a few locations... see below for two examples

 

4 crocheted or felt accents - Four of the flowers have brown felt centres

Overall I loved this challenge and I love this final layout even though its kind of cute and juvenile, I think it fits as the kittens are silly babies!

Thanks for looking!