"Chapters" with Marsha

Hello friends!  It's Marsha, here with my first post as part of the Citrus Twist Creative Team.  I am so happy to be here!  The March Life Chapters kit, is absolutely gorgeous, and I am excited to share with you the layout I created using the kit, Life Chapters Cut Aparts, and Traveler's Notebook Stamp Set.

To begin the layout, I chose a black and white photo of my husband and me, taken last month at a Valentine's Day Banquet.  The geometric heart patterned paper from the kit is my favorite, so I decided to use the full sheet on my layout.  I cut it in half and layered it over some white card stock, machine stitching around the edges for interest and texture.

I layered the "chapters" ephemera piece along the edge of the patterned paper to serve as my title.  Next, I stamped on a label using the Traveler's Notebook Stamp Set.  The sentiments on this set are perfect for my layout!    I used some of the cut aparts, and one of the chipboard circle pieces to complete this section of the page.

For the other side of the spread, I used one of the journaling cards from the kit as a mat for my photo.  I layered a label behind the photo, stamped the date on a tab, and added a couple of chipboard pieces.  I trimmed another one of the 3x4 cards into a tag shape to use for my journaling and tucked it behind the photo.

Here's another look at my completed layout.

Thank you so much for joining me today.  I hope I have inspired you to use the March Life Crafted kit and Traveler's Notebook Stamp Set to document your stories!

Meet our March Guest Designer - Krystal Becker

Today we are so excited to share with you are next Guest Designer for March, Krystal Becker.  If you are not already following Krystal then you really should - her Instagram feed is an absolute delight to scroll through!  You can see more of Krystal's amazing work on her blog and YourTube channel!

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GET TO KNOW KRYSTAL

My name is Krystal Becker, and I live in a small, rural, college town in Indiana. I have been with my partner, Jesse, for nearly 19 years, and we have four furry children (two dogs and two cats). They are my everything! By day I'm a librarian. I currently work as the Marketing and Communications Director of our local public library.

I've been crafting nearly my entire life. I used to spend hours with my grandmother making little gifts for other family members out of painted wood, paper, fabric, pipe cleaners, or whatever else she could find in her closets. My style today is a little bit eclectic. I used to be very minimalist and only used clean white backgrounds, but I've been dipping my toes in the mixed media pond lately, and I'm starting to embrace a "messier" look. However, I always select limited color palettes for my projects to keep things cohesive and to prevent them from looking too overwhelming to my eye.

Q&A WITH KRYSTAL

When did you start scrapbooking?

I made my very first scrapbook when I was in high school (in the mid 90's). I didn't know that there were special products for scrapbooking back then, so I just used whatever I could find around the house (construction paper, confetti, bits from magazines, etc.). It wasn't until around 2005, after I graduated from college and had some spare time, that I discovered the world of papercrafting. I've basically been addicted to pretty paper ever since. 

What is something most people would not know about you?

Scrapbooking is not my only hobby; I also sing. I've been singing my entire life, and even spent a year touring with a production company right out of high school. I'm currently in a local jazz band and also sit in with an old-timey band at times. 

What are the 3 scrapbooking products you can’t live without?

Only 3?! This is going to be difficult. I definitely need patterned paper, and I use labels on nearly everything I create, so I would definitely need some of them. Then I'd probably want something with some kind of dimension. Enamel dots are usually my go-to. So yeah, I'd say patterned paper, labels, and enamel dots.

What do you love about the new Life Crafted kit?

I am seriously in love with the Life Crafted albums! I struggled with the idea of traveler's notebooks for a long time. I like the size, but they seemed so limiting to me. With the Life Crafted album, you get the same size but with the flexibility to add in smaller bits and lots of dimension. The Life Crafted kits make it so easy to put together pages for the album. They have everything you need, all perfectly coordinated. I can sit down and create multiple pages in no time at all, which is important when you have limited time to create. 

Finish this sentence "If you could see my scrapbooking space right now . . . "

...you might be appalled. :) My space is far from ideal. I have a wall of make-shift shelving in the sun room of our tiny cottage and an Ikea desktop precariously perched on some small wire shelves. Our two cats spend a lot of time in this room, so I'm always fighting a battle with cat hair (and usually losing). It's generally a hot mess. But I make it work. :)

And here is just a little peek into her creative space:

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The pages I created are in my "Books in 2019" album. (I had previously posted the cover page I made for the album using the February CTK kit on Instagram). I made four two-page spreads documenting four of the books I've read so far in 2019.

Thanks so much for having me as a guest designer!  Krystal

"Just Us" with Suzanna

Hey there, crafty friends! I'm so excited to share my first post as a member of the CTK design team! I used the March Life Crafted kit to create a layout that, if you ask me, screams of spring vibes. I am so excited for the start of a new season right around the corner.

I created an 8.5x11" layout and really love the way it turned out. The patterned paper from the kit made the perfect background for my photo, journaling, and embellishing.

I'm a big fan of clustering embellishments and did so in three places around the layout. This "design triangle" guides the eye, so the layout flows well when you're looking at it. I clustered die cuts, chipboard pieces, and labels.

On the right side of my photo, I used a journaling card to hold all of my journaling - which looks like a blob to you because I had to blur for privacy reasons. But under that blurry blob there are lots of words that talk about what made this memory special.

To finish the layout, I added a bit of gold craft mist splattered around the same places I put my embellishment clusters. It really brought the layout together and added just the perfect amount of messy!

I hope this layout gave you a bit of inspiration on how you can use your March Life Crafted kit. I'll be back later this month with more crafty goodness! Until then, I'll be peeking at the CTK hashtag on Insta to see all the beautiful projects y'all are creating!

Life Crafted with Anna

Hi dear Friends! Anna here with you today sharing some Life Crafted "Life Chapter goodness. Unfortunately my March DT-box is a bit delayed because of a snow bizzard. Though I have had a blast playing with lots of the gorgeous March Life Crafted digital printables which you can find in the CTK shop.
So much fun! I have also used a few puffy hearts from the February kit.

Here's what I came up with. It ended up with both a spread for my beautiful Life Crafted Album as well as an ordinary layout. Hope you will like it!

The left side is one of the digital Journaling cards for March. I printed it slightly larger and made some trimming to make it fit in my pocket. For my right side I have used one of the March digital Travelers Notebook papers and also a few pieces from the Cut Aparts sheet.

And there you have the album spread, next up is my layout. Enjoy!

I have used the March Digital Journaling cards and printed out one of them in Lettersize format for my background. For my layers underneath my photo I have printed some of the digital Travelers Notebook  papers for March. Also you can see a few pieces from the Cut Aparts sheet. 

Thanks so much for joining in here today with me! Now it's your turn to grab your own kits and start playing. Don't forget to share with us on social media as Instagram ( #citrustwistkits / @citrustwistkits) and on our CTK Fan Page on Facebook. My friends and I can't wait to see what magic you will create.

Also be sure to head over to the CTK website and sign up for a subscription or to buy some other goodies.

Until Next time! Anna xo

Let’s Get Digital | Home Sweet Home by Wendy Morris-Saponaro

This month we are so excited to introduce our guest designer, Wendy Morris-Saponaro, who loves the ease of hybrid scrapbooking. Today we'll start with a little introduction, a small Q&A, a tour of Wendy's brand new scrapbook space and a hybrid project you are going to love.

GET TO KNOW WENDY

My husband, Vincenzo, and I live in Navarre, Florida.  Yes, the beautiful emerald green Gulf Coast.  Our home is about 15 minutes from the beach.  However, the crazy thing, we rarely go to the beach. Ha! Also, we have Yorkie name Principessa who is 4 years old.  She is my “ride or die” bestie with such a stellar personality.  Ha!  My husband Vincenzo (aka Enzo), moved from Europe to America about 5 years ago after we met online and married.  We are a successful online love story as he is my teammate and soulmate.  He’s an Executive Chef at a local Italian restaurant.  I’m an Audit Manager by day but always screaming with a creative voice to create all day!  I must “create something every day”, I must.  In my mind, being creative is not always putting “glue to paper” but sometimes simply writing down ideas or drawing sketches for ideas once back in my art room.

My format of memory keeping is mostly traveler’s notebook format and sometimes a little punch now and then with a 9x12 layout.  I soak in the challenge to test my creative outlet by working with different designers of product plus a range of product that fits within my style. My style would be defined as spontaneous and versatile…but always with love for the details and bringing an element(s) of surprise to my projects.  I’m currently on the creative teams for Elif Sahin Designs and Digital Press Co. as a Hybrid Artist.

Q & A WITH WENDY

When did you start scrapbooking?

I’ve been designing for various small and large scrapbooking companies within the scrapbooking community for well over 20 years now. 

What is something most people would not know about you?

I had a battle of the right brain vs. left brain while in university.  I was deeply encouraged by an Art professor to major in Art when I randomly took an Advanced Art Studio course, just for fun, in university.  My final exam was a presentation of portraits that was critiqued by students in the class.  However, I chose to continue with my major in Accounting.  He truly thought I was “wasting my time in accounting” as he said my talent for drawing was definitely innate and I was merely not pursuing it to the fullest.  It’s always on my “to do” list to pick up my sketchbook and pencil again….

What are the 3 scrapbooking products you can’t live without?

Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black, my entire collection of stamps*, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

*Note: with the inclusion of my stamps, wayyyy more than 3 products but seriously could not live without my stamps – aka necessities)

What do you love about the new Life Crafted kit? 

The product from Citrus Twist is always inspiring and feel good happiness and the stamps are ALWAYS my favorite (“lightly” obsessed with them)!  I recently received the Citrus Twist Life Crafted™ album.  Well, I believe you all spoke to my heart in creating an album perfectly made for my TN pages! I’m going to need to order in bulk for all my TN pages. THANK YOU!! So, to answer your question on how I feel about Life Crafted…hmmmmm, ECSTATIC and the answer to my crafty prayers!

Finish this sentence “If you could see my scrapbooking space right now . . . “

…it’s packed away in about 15 boxes. Literally.  We just moved to our new house on March 5th. I always dedicate one room in our home for my office/art space. 

STUDIO TOUR

Wendy is just setting up her scrapbooking space in her brand new home and is sharing some peeks into how she organizes and tools she uses. Get ready for some amazing hybrid projects this month from her. 

We love how she has organized her stamps (below).

And then there are the crafty girl tools she relies on day in and day out.

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HOME SWEET HOME

by Wendy Morris-Saponaro

I’m excited to join you all this month (and next month) as Guest Designer for Citrus Twist Kits! I’ll be working with the Life Crafted™ kits.  I’m a long-time fan of Citrus Twist Kits monthly kits.  Hands down, I’m a sucker for the stamps every single month.  Aren’t they just the BEST in versatility?! 

Even better, the icing on the cake for me will be incorporating the digital elements from the monthly kits into my projects to share up with you.  In using the March Life Crafted™ kit, I added in a sprinkling of digital elements to spice things up a bit.

I’ve been a hybrid artist for about three years and I really enjoy the versatility and control it offers me in my layout design.

Fussy Cut vs. Print & Cut

Some hybrid artists like the fussy cutting of “scissors-to-paper” in cutting out the printed digital elements.  I will admit and raise my hand that I WAS that girl.  However, when my husband bought me the Cricut Explore Air 2 as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago, the heavens opened with light and the birds sang for me in a new direction.  

Yes, I prefer to use my Cricut machine along with the Print & Cut feature.  I simply upload the images and format each of the cut files for the machine to do the work of all the precision cutting for me. Easy peasy!  Plus, the fact I can re-size each image is a game changer for me (especially with the “Life Chapters” Cut Aparts)!

In my project, I re-sized the digital Life Crafted™ “Life Chapters” Journaling Cards – March 2019 to a “mini version” in a project template after the Print & Cut feature was applied to each image.  Then, it’s just like butter to peel them off the Cricut sticky pad. 

Combining Stamps and Digital Elements

Mix it up!  The thing I love about the Citrus Twist Kits monthly kits is the stamps! I could say I hoard them, but I do use them and A LOT!  You can size your printables (i.e. “Life Chapters” Cut Aparts) to fit perfectly to the stamp phrase.  Trust me and try it!

Did you find this article helpful?  I challenge YOU to head over the Citrus Twist Kits shop and grab up your faves in the Digital Files!  Create it up, then, come back to this blog post and share up how you used the digital files in your next project.