Sunday Sketch with Brooke

Hello!  Happy Sunday Sketch day! 

Brooke here to share this week's sketch inspiration.

Here's my take...

I used the sketch composition almost exactly and translated it into a notebook project. 

As a huge fan of traveler's notebook projects, let me tell you, using a sketch as a starting point makes this type of memory-keeping even more efficient than it already is. 

The September kits were packed with amazing pieces, like these tags, that are so great for layering. 

Then lastly, I chose to journal around the entire spread.  I use this technique when I want to pull all the elements of a project together.  It's like tying a bow on a present....the journaling wraps everything up, nice and neat.

A few puffy star stickers and I called this one done! 

I do hope you're inspired to start creating using this week's sketch.  It's a simple, classic scrapbook sketch that can easily be translated to so many other projects, like cards and pocket pages or even a traveler's notebook spread, like I shared here.  Don't forget to use the hashtags #citrustwistkits and #ctksundaysketch so we can all admire your work! 

Thank you so much for joining me today.  Happy crafting!

3 to Inspire with Brooke

Happy Saturday and welcome to this week's 3 to inspire challenge!  This is my first time hosting and I'm so excited you're here with me today!

I thought it would be fun to challenge you all to use the following three different items to create a project this week...

1) The three patterned papers you see above from the main scrapbook kit.  I love, love, love the way these papers look together and am especially fond of that exclusive design from Trina.
2) The Dear Lizzy black and white design Thickers.  I mean, these are so great.  I'm digging that dipped look and think the dots add a fun twist.
3) The embellishment pack from Crate Paper's Cool Kid line is a fun little trove of embellishments that add just the right amount of something extra.

Here are a few detail shots of the completed spread.

I think the contrast of the black and white letters against that yellow paper really pops.

Just a few very simple embellishments are the perfect way to enhance the paper designs.  The enamel plus signs are a fun shape we haven't really seen in enamel before and I'm obsessed with them.  Also, you can't really ever have too many paper clips and if you know me, yellow's my favorite so the clips included in this pack are perfect.

So there you have it!  A project using just the three items mentioned above.

I hope you'll join in on this week's 3 to Inspire challenge.  Please be sure to upload your projects to the online gallery and share on social media using #citrustwistkits #ctk3toinspire.

Happy Making!

Never Stop Exploring - a notebook project with Brooke

Happy Wednesday CTK community!


Brooke here today to share with you the rundown on this fun, colorful spread in my art journal/notebook. 


(But first off, a quick sidebar about the whys of choosing to create this spread in my "art journal/notebook" rather than in my traveler's notebook.  When I start out with a general idea and I know I'll want a little more room to play, I'll opt to use this notebook.  I use a Midori MD grid notebook.  It's A5 size, aka cahier (I think), which is about 8.3"x5.8".  It's slightly wider than a standard traveler's notebook which I find to be the perfect size for a less than minimal composition.  Also, this notebook has a faint grid background (LOVE), which comes in handy to keep my handwriting in check when I know I'll have a bit more journaling than usual.)


Ok, back to the business...

I started by cutting out a couple of the angles from this yellow patterned paper to serve as a base.

Adding to the yellow angles, I cut a layer of colorful shapes from the patterned paper shown above.  I often start a project with the intent of focusing on a certain element as my main design point.  This Amy Tangerine patterned paper was the initial inspiration for this spread and where I thought I'd be the most focused on, however, as you'll see, this project evolved into something a little different and in the end, you don't necessarily see these colorful shapes all too much.

Once I opened this pack of dies-cuts from the new Crate Paper line, Cool Kid, I had a clear vision of what this project would be.  I arranged a bunch of my favorite pieces around the page until I was happy with the placement.

Next, I used these puffy stickers from the same line to add dimension and texture.  The clear backing of this sticker sheet makes the sticker-placing process a breeze!

I tucked the photo behind some of the elements to blend the photo and the die-cuts together.  I wanted it to look like a big cluster of encouragement going towards the direction of my son.  And of course, there's T-Rex, because T-Rex is boss in my son's world.

On the opposite page, another cluster of embellishments and my title. 


So often, I'm not thinking about titling my projects until the very end.  I'm always pulling inspiration for my journaling and titles from the words and phrases pre-printed on the products I'm using.  This month's kits include so many title possibilities and journaling prompts that this title-challenged girl is in heaven!

Here's a closer look at some of the details.  You'll notice I used staples here and there to secure the clear plastic pieces to the page.


And here's a look at the final spread...

I really loved every one of the main and add-on kits this month.  The collection of items can be used to create such a good variety of projects.  And now I know I've said this before, but Trina always packs the kits with so much product! 


I hope this post has you super excited to start creating with your August kits! It's definitely a good month!!  I can't wait to see what you all create!  Don't forget to tag your projects with #citrustwistkits on social media so we can find your projects and leave some love. 


Supplies Used: Kits - August 2016 Kaleidoscope main scrapbook kit, August 2016 Wild Child add-on kit, Other - tiny attacher, dot glue adhesive runner, black Uni-Pin pen, Midor MD grid notebook, Hobonichi notebook cover

Sunday Sketch

Happy Sunday Sketch Day!!

Brooke here to share some sketch inspiration to hopefully get you making something today!  Here's a look at this week's sketch...

Immediately, I'm intrigued by the grid column behind the photo and know I'll use this inspiration as my main design element.  Here's what I came up with...

I thought it would be fun to incorporate collage paper art into this project.  I went with random, hand-cut shapes in a loose grid column to create a playful and carefree feeling...perfect for these photos of my 6-months old niece, Riley.

Originally, this was a 9x12 layout.  But, I went a little overboard and the column ended up being so wide that it almost took up the whole page.  Not wanting to cover any of the elements up with a photo, I decided to add on a 3-inch piece of patterned paper to make this a 12x12 layout again.  This allowed additional space for photo placement and journaling.

Once I had the photos placed, I added in the journaling, silver hearts and the chipboard title to complete the page. 



***Now it's your turn!*** 


To play along with this week's Sunday Sketch Challenge, create a layout based off of today's sketch, upload it to the gallery with today's date (6/26) in the title, and you will be eligible to win a $5 gift certificate to be used in the CTK Store!

Happy crafting!

Tuesday Tutorial with Brooke Takara

Happy Tuesday CTK friends!


Thank you so much for joining me for today's tutorial, which is actually more of a walk-through of my process for creating a hybrid art journal/scrapbook spread. 


This method of memory-keeping has become a fast favorite for me.  In my opinion, it is THE perfect place to house the scraps of paper you can't bear to throw away, or the doodled leaf you wanted to practice, or even just random thoughts.  This is even a great way to try out new techniques for your scrapbook pages or get that layout idea you have floating around in your head down on paper, by playing with paper.


Let's get started!

I started by creating burst shapes in a pretty green color to mimic leaves from my backyard.  While the green paint was still wet, I dropped in a yellow paint and let the two colors mix together to create a marble effect.

Next, I added in more watercolor doodles and splatters, along with pieces of patterned paper.  Yellow patterned paper is always a win for me!

One of my favorite embellishments to use on projects are hand-cut leaves.  I like the whimsy they add and they're super simple to make, which, for this drawing-challenged person, is a super plus! 

I added in thin blue watercolor lines to add direction and movement.  I think the lines keep your eyes moving around the page nicely.  At this point, I also added in thin strips of patterned paper mostly because I wanted a darker neutral color.  I was careful to cut the portions of the paper with the darker grey shapes.

Fussy-cut flowers are sort of a given with me.  If there's a big floral patterned paper, you can bet I'll be hand-cutting those flowers out to use as embellishments.  I chose to layer the flowers in only the bottom two starburst clusters to anchor the entire spread.

The super cute little puffy stickers were added and then I finished this project off with my journaling.  This photo absolutely warms my heart.  My daughter was chosen to be one of the island princesses at her May Day program and she'd basically been waiting for this day the entire year!  She made sure I got a photo of her with her "sassy pose".  So priceless!!


Here's a look at the finished spread...

...and a few more detail photos...

And that's it!


Lots of layering and randomness and just having fun with pretty scrapbooking supplies!


I hope you're inspired to create something right this second! 


Go ahead...use up those scraps of paper and leftover stickers from your May kits because the June kits are right around the corner!! ;)


Thanks so much for stopping by and have an awesome Tuesday!!

Sunday Sketch

Happy Sunday CTK friends! 

Brooke here today to share my take on this week's sketch!  Let's start with a look at the sketch...

And here's my take on it...

The doilies from the May Sprinkles kit were my obvious starting point, as they would act as the circles from the sketch.  From there, I took inspiration from the layering of the graph, title and banner from behind the photos in the sketch and started laying down a background for this project.  First, I used watercolor paint to squiggle messy lines on the white cardstock.  Then, I laid the strips of patterned paper and figured out the placement for the doilies.  The acrylic flowers were added for a pop of color.

It was at this point that I chose my photos and decided where my journaling would go.  My go-to color whenever I feel a project needs a little oomph is yellow.  I like how it instantly brightens a page and makes it seem cheerful!  So, I cut out a few of the geometric-shaped yellow strips to add throughout the page.  I sewed them down the center for added interest.

A colorful tag was tucked behind the photos to cover up the center of one of the doilies.  Funny note...I don't really like the blank circle centers of doilies...I always feel like they're missing something. So whenever I use them on a project, I try to strategically cover those centers up a little.

The last details added were the title, the silver glitter stars and my journaling.

Because I glued down the acrylic flowers before I placed those yellow strips, there is one part of this layout that bothers me...The bottom right corner.  I think that longer yellow strip of paper should actually be where the shortest yellow strip is.  Then it would be pointing up at the photos and leading your eyes there, instead of pointing to the doily in the upper right-hand corner.  Ah, such is life!

So, there you have it! 

I hope you're super inspired to create something using this week's sketch as your starting point.  I can't wait to see what you make! 

**To play along with this week's Sunday Sketch Challenge, create a layout based off of today's sketch, upload it to the gallery with today's date (5/22) in the title, and you will be eligible to win a $5 gift certificate to be used in the CTK Store!

Sunday Sketch

Hello Citrus Twist friends! Happy Sunday Sketch day!

I don't often work with sketches, so this was a fun challenge for me! At first, I found myself rotating the sketch round and round, trying to figure out which way I'd be most inspired to use the sketch. When it came down to it, I liked the way the elemetns cascaded down the side of the page, so I decided to use that concept in an art journal spread.

I started by creating a decorative focal point on the left hand side of the spread.  Keeping the cascade of elements from the sketch in mind, I added a mixture of watercolors as a base.  The texture and color of the paints act as the paper layers from the sketch.  Random, hand-cut moon shapes were then arranged over the watercolor and sewed down to add even more interest  The finishing touch for this page is the stacked journaling.

Moving on to the right side, I included a few colorful paper strips over more watercolor.  The b/w photo mixed with the colorful paper adds visual weight and makes this page the focus of the spread.  I kept the placement of the photo and smaller elements in the same cascading pattern as the sketch.

Here's a final look at my completed art journal spread....

I love how easily the CT Pocket Life Kit can be used for smaller projects such as a traveler's notebook or an art journal and having the inspiration from the sketch made putting this spread together such a breeze.

I can't wait to see your take on this week's sketch!  A big part of the fun of sketches, for me, is seeing all the different variations and ways people are inspired by the one starting point.  Thank you so much for joining me today and for welcoming me to your happy community!

Brooke

**To play along with this week's Sunday Sketch Challenge, create a project based off of today's sketch, upload it to the gallery with the date of the challenge (3/13) in the title, and you will be eligible to win a $5 gift certificate to the CTK Store!

Kit Love

Happy Wednesday!  Brooke here again!  I'm so excited to be here today to share a selection of my favorite pieces from the March Pocket Life kit.  This kit is packed and I was thrilled to see some newly released products from CHA I'd been eyeing.  If you're like me, working within parameters, with a smaller selection of pieces, expands your creativity exponentially.  So I narrowed down the products I was most drawn to, in order to create a kit within the kit.  Here's what I came up with...

Pretty patterns mixed with fun bits and pieces.  I love the bold colors and the whimsical die-cuts.  And that 3x4 grey triangle card? My absolute favorite piece from the whole kit.  I don't think it's a secret that I'm drawn to geometric patterns.  This triangle print is so pretty and I would love to see it as a 12x12 paper one day.  Another favorite from this selection is the big swirl die-cuts.  How fun are those!  I tried my best to not hoard them and came up with a compromise.  I slid them into a pocket in my traveler's notebook (see yesterday's blog post) but no promises they'll stay there.  I'm itching to use them in my next planner spread!!

So how about you?  Do you go through your kits and pull your favorite pieces out to use first?  to hoard?    It would be so fun to see which pieces are your favorites.  If you're on Instagram, I'm going to start the hastag #ctkitlove where we can all share our favorites from this month's kit and perhaps beyond? 

Thank you so much for joining me today and letting me ramble on about this fabulous kit!  Can't wait to see everyone's picks on instagram!