Meet Our Guest Designer & 3 to Inspire

Hello everyone! Today we would like to take the time to introduce you to our guest designer for the months of October and November. Say hello to Laureen Wagener!

Hi crafty peeps-my name is Laureen.  I am 22 years old and I am delighted to be this month's guest designer for Citrus Twist Kits!  You are going to fall in love with the October Kit-it is super fun, full of fall colors, and has amazing exclusives included! As soon as I got the kit I created my four projects with it I couldn't and wouldn't stop.

Before we get to Laureen's beautiful project, let's get to know our guest designer a little bit more. First, here's a peak into the space where Laureen creates:

Now for a little Q&A with Laureen:

How long have you been scrapbooking and why did you start?

I discovered scrapbooking in 2013 and for whatever reason only made a few pages and then got into cardmaking.  I rediscovered scrapbooking in March 2016 shortly after I got my cancer diagnosis and it helped me rock through the tough days when chemo really hit in.  Scrapbooking helped me focus on something different other then cancer and always makes me feel great!  I was always a very creative person, needing something to do with my hands-as a kid I loved Window Color, crafting with napkins, and painting!  Scrapbooking now lets me get messy and also scrap and display the gazillion of pictures that otherwise would get lost on the computer or phone.

How would you describe your scrapbooking style?

Since I've started my style developed and drastically changed.  I am a traditional scrapbooker getting my fingers all sticky and my table messy.  I really love the look of bright pages using die-cuts and patterned paper and also completely fell in love with stitching on my layouts. 

What scrapbookers have influenced you the most?

I would say Paige Taylor Evans was one of my biggest inspirations!  I loved her video from back in the Two Peas in a Bucket days-her colorful layouts and usage of patterns is just divine and makes me want to create!  I also had the pleasure of meeting her twice already and she is just a total sweetheart.

What is your favorite things about kit clubs?

The variety is incredible, especially all those amazing goodies for the amount of money you pay!  You always get the latest and greatest stuff out there and it makes creating so much easier-everything has been coordinated for you already!  Also, I adore the exclusive products that now come in kits!

What are your 5 favorite scrapbooking items you can't do without?  

What a tough question as I love everything about scrapbooking!  I would say that patterned paper is my top pick, directly followed by ephemera and chipboard.  I also love enamel dots and buttons for a little extra something on your pages!

How would you describe the Citrus Twist October "Waverly" Scrapbook Kit?

All the heart eyes!!  This kit has awesome colors that work for a variety of projects and different styles! I especially loved the little amazingly cute goodies inside the little bags-talk about eye candy there!

To learn more about Laureen and to see more of her work you can stop by her blog, find her on Instragram @madamerosenrot, and check out her boards on Pinterest

Since today also happens to be a Saturday, we are delighted to have Laureen set this week's 3 to Inspire Challenge!  

Here are this week's prompts:

1. Layer in a piece of vellum or other sheer material.

2. Use a piece of patterned paper for your background.

3. Add some flair. 

For this first layout I made, I decided to focus on the Indigo Hills bits from the kit.  I decided to use a picture of a bracelet my best friend gave me during chemotherapy to wish me luck and all the best results and therefore the small sentiments from the Indigo Hills ephemera pack work great for this picture!  I beat cancer in June when I received  my last chemo and a call from doctor at the end of the month saying that I am cancer free.

 The background paper I used is just too gorgeous to be cut apart and therefore I used it as my entire background.  I placed a cut file over it and softened the look by layering vellum behind the cut file. The blue acrylic letters are so awesome-I used them to spell a part of my title and one of the die-cut hearts to finish the title: Love This. 

Thank you so much Laureen for joining us here at Citrus Twist Kits! Your projects are both beautiful and inspirational.  It has been a real pleasure getting to know you better and we are looking forward to seeing more of your projects!  

To play along with this week's 3 to Inspire challenge, create a layout based off of the three prompts, post it in the CTK Gallery with today's date (10/1) in the title, and you will have a chance to win a small prize from the CTK Store.

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**Make sure and leave a comment at the end of this post for a chance to win one of Laureen's fave scrapbooking products! Good luck!!