Clean and Simple Layout Inspiration | Kathleen Graumüller

Hey friends, it’s Kathleen here again, unfortunately with my last post as part of the Citrus Twist Kits creative team. I absolutely loved being on the CTK design team, but since things have gotten a bit hectic around here (at home, not at the CTK blog ;) ), unfortunately, I had to step down from this design team.

But let’s focus on my project for today! I thought I would share some inspiration for a clean and simple layout that I made with the beautiful May "Malibu“ scrapbooking kit. I used one of the iNSD sketches as inspiration for this one.

 When making a clean and simple layout, what always helps to add some interest to the page, is to use different textures. On my layout I not only used the patterned papers, but also part of the pink tulle that was included in the kit (as part of the border on the left, it’s a bit hard to see in the photos), different embellishments (like the gold puffy stickers, the cardstock stickers), some machine stitching and the white modeling paste.

For that last one I used a stencil from my stash that kind of reminded me of the blanket’s structure (which you can see in the photo). I love the look of white on white because it adds some interest to your layout without adding more colour or patterns, so it doesn’t get too busy.

I hope this layout inspires you to try the clean and simple style yourself :)

And since this will be my last blog post, I thought I would also share some of my favourite layouts that I made with the Citrus Twist Kits over the past eight months (and it was really hard to choose - the CTK kits really pushed me to try new things):

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Fussy Cutting with Kira

Hey friends!  It's Kira and I am back with a 12x12 scrapbook layout featuring some fussy cutting.  If you aren't a fan of fussy cutting...don't worry, I chose the easiest paper for this!  Even the fussy cutting haters won't mind.  ;)

I started with the Heidi Swapp Pineapple Crush "Good Vibes" paper.  I didn't necessarily have an end goal in mind when I start this layout so I just started cutting out hexagons from the paper.  I fussed around with those for a bit, then cut the hexagons into diamonds and chevrons.  Still no plan.

So I kept cutting.  Lol.  I had cut about 1/4 of the paper and decided to sort the diamonds and chevrons by color.  I am definitely a color scrapper so this made it easier for me to determine a design.

I started playing with a pattern on my paper, alternating between a diamond piece and a chevron.  Which eventually turned into a circular shape.  So I thought a few of these on a page might be cute.  I laid out a pink, yellow and blue shape.

Once I had placement approximately where I liked it, I lightly traced around the shapes so I could place some mixed media behind them.  I stuck with some light, subtle watercolor and the packaging technique.  After that had dried, I adhered the shapes to the page over their coordinating colors.  I decided to add some machine stitching down all of the diamonds and chevrons for some additional texture.

The embellishing was rather easy since I decided color blocking would look best.  I went thru all the embellishments in the main, PL and embellishment kits and sorted them by color.  Then added a few of each color to the coordinating shapes.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Kira

Tuesday Tutorial – Stamping

Hello CTK friends! Melanie here today to share a fun stamping tutorial!!! CTK has so many wonderful stamps, I thought I’d show you how I like to combine my stamps to create unique embellishments for my projects, in this case a PL spread. Using the Delish stamp, Candid Camera, along with stamps from past CTK kits and the Malibu Pocket Life kit, I created fun accents for my PL spread. 

The stamp frame from the Delish Stamp Set was the base for my stamping, afterwards it was simply combining a larger word/phrase stamp with a smaller word/phrase stamp, making sure that each saying complimented each other. This was a fun exercise in using my supplies and seeing which stamps coordinated well together.

Since I like to work with odd number of items, I created 5 stamp vignettes to use on my spread. Each stamp highlighted the theme of the picture.

To complete my spread I used the PL cards from the Malibu Pocket Life kit along with various embellishments from the same kit. Love the beauty and versatility of this kit, ideal for any type of pictures and stories.

The end result is a simple but unique PL spread that recaps the story of my family. Love this project, love that it enables me to preserve our stories and special moments but also to tell the story of little things that bring my joy and happiness.

Don't forget to share your projects with us on Instagram and hashtag #citrustwistkits and on our Facebook page so we can leave you a little love!

Happy crafting!!!

Sunday Sketch with Nathalie

Hello everyone!  It is Sunday, which means time for a new Sketch , and this one is such a fun and versatile one.

Gotta love all those layers behind the picture.  Well,  I used this month's Malibu Scrapbooking, and Embellishment kits to create my take on this week's sketch.

Sketches are a great starting point for projects, and  i chose to remain true to the sketch after flipping it 90 degrees.

All the layers behind the picture are created following the ones in the sketch.   I even used the Circle Punch Cut file to create the layer that sit behind the picture from one of the papers in the Scrapbook main kit.

I was so excited to see the small music sheet in the Malibu Main Kit, and used it in this page to convey the sentiment of the picture.   The pink tulle also was added as a layer behind the picture.

To bring a bit of texture to the page, i added some mixed media so that it just peeks from under the paper cluster.

The only difference between the sketch and my page (besides the rotation) is that i replace the long thin strip of paper for the gold puffy leaves from Crate Paper's Flourish collection that are included in the main kit.    The following video will show you how this page came together:

Now it is your turn to be inspired to create a new project using this week's Sketch.  I cannot wait to see your take on this sketch!  Remember to use today's date when sharing your creations on the CTK Fans Facebok Page, or by tagging #CitrusTwistKits when sharing  your creations on social media.

Have an awesome week!

XO

Nathalie

3-to-inspire with Kristel

Hi all! 

Today I have another fun 3-to-inspire project for you;  made with this month's Malibu Pocket Life kit - which is filled with so many pretty goodies, yet again!
I also used all of this month's kit-stamps and single stamp sets, to add some fun details.

I started this page by choosing some of the cardstock stickers from the kit and placing them, along with some fun stamping. I just went from left to right, as if I was writing, using
various phrases and colors.

When I was done filling up the left page, it was time to add some background to the right page.
I chose a paper from the kit and added a PL card behind my photo.

I added a little detail with some cute embellishments and this layout was finished!

Today's 3-to-inspire prompts are:
* Combine stamping and word stickers to fill up a page
* Use various fonts and colors to add more interest
* Use one of the papers from the kit as a full background on your other page

I hope you like this 3-to-inspire and I wish you a lot of fun with it!
Have a lovely weekend and until next time!

Love, Kristel

Pocket Life Challenge with Diane

Hi guys! Diane here with another Pocket Life Challenge for you!

The last few weeks (months?!) have been pretty hard and stressful, so it was a nice change to document what was a pretty good week this week! And I wanted to get a little bit fancy to celebrate!

I used the May Pocket Life kit and hand-cut out my title (you could just as easily use a Silhouette if you wanted). I tied my title card to the rest of my page by adding some fussy-cut elements from the same paper and stitched it all down with my sewing machine! 

Here is how I used all my hand-cut elements to create my page this week... 

So my challenge for you this week is: Try cutting out your title by hand. Back it with something pretty and then try to create your own hand-cut embellishments to match!

Monochrome

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MONOCHROME CHALLENGE!

I love this challenge. Using the same color in different shades - I practically do that everyother page in my notebook and Bible.  I am using the May Kit from Citrus Twist plus some cute, coordinating papers from my stash.  The main pieces in the kit are these fruity pieces from Illustrated Faith. I decided to do three different pages because I just couldn't pick one color.

​​SML

 When I create a page I love to lay down the watercolor first. Patterns, splatters, blobs - be fun with it. Then I pulled some green papers to go with the green die cuts and wordfetti. Make a pile of all your options and start arranging.

​​SML

 I glued it all down and added some more paint splatters & matching washi.

​​SML

Fun, easy huh!

Have you tried a monochrome page/project?!

Happy Creating,
Ashley Haake
aka @magmagandme