3 To Inspire with Ashley

Hello, crafty friends! Ashley @magmagandme here today with a 3-to-Inspire challenge for you! This month's #gracebox is so colorful and packed with pieces, paper & stickers to play with.

For today's 3-to-Inspire, the categories are:

+ Background: use only the colors in the kit
+ Paper: Fussy cut something
+ Stamp it: use the stamps as a pattern

Here is my take on the challenge:
Revelations 5:9-12

 

The first thing I did was the background. 

Watercolors picked out to match the paper pieces I loved for this page.  

Stripe and splatter - my favorite patterns.

 

Then I fussy cut a floral burst & a few birds from the 12x12 papers included in the kit.

 It takes awhile but it is impactful in a project.

I lay everything out before I glue it down.

 

Then I added some die cuts that are in the gracebox kit.

I only used two stamps from the set - the little triangle and the word AWESOME. 

I liked how stamps add one more layer of interest. 

A few outlining shapes and dots here and there. 

 

Finally I added a date stamp & bowed up the fabric (in the kit too!) for the perfect topper. 

The colors in this kit truly have me hanging onto summer for dear life. 

I hope you'll take the challenge & create something inspiring! 

 Happy Crafting!

3 to Inspire with Ashley

Hi crafties, it is Ashley @magmagandme here today to bring you a 3-to-Inspire post.  Hopefully by now most of you  have received your July GraceBox and you've had time to check out all the goodies. So many great stickers this month, right!? AND THAT STAMP SET. SQUEAL! 

Let the fun and creativity begin.

This week's 3  prompts are:

• #1  -  Use acrylic or puffy paint
• #2  -  Use ephemera pieces
• #3  -  Use more than one ink color

Here is what I have created in my Bible using these prompts:

SIDE NOTE: ( I am pretty sure there is SOOO much pink in my craft room -

 it's giving off a pink hue in all these photos! SORRY! )

Back to the prompts!

 #1 is a fun one that many people are intimidated by. The puffy paint included is a perfect way to dabble in it. Did you know that puffy paint cam be watered down a bit and acts just like a lose watercolor? You can blend it or splatter like I did. 

I also did a white acrylic smear over some of the print to help the stickers pop.

I chose a praise prayer chapter in Exodus 15 to journal in. 

The pretty pinks in this kit pair nicely with the worshipful verses. 

Next I jumped to #3 - multiple ink colors. I loved the stamp set this month (check it out). I pulled the cross bundle and found a pink and green ink that matched the ephemera to come. Make sure you wash your stamps off with a baby wipe in between colors so you don't blend them or so they don't stain the stamp.

The #2 prompt -  ephemera is almost too easy! There were so many great choices in the GraceBox. I cheated and used the cardboard stickers too. :) One of the floral frames I chose wasn't popping so I used a small, black ink pad to brush the edges. This helps define the shape. 

Can you see the difference in the next two photos?

I used a few other stickers from the kit, the black ones from June's Gracebox (just needed that bold punch) and wordfetti stickers. It's all about layering.

 Don't be afraid to use everything and the kitchen sink sometimes! 

“The Lord is my strength and my defense;

he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

The Lord is a warrior;

the Lord is his name."

Exodus 15:2,3

Now is your turn to use the prompts to inspire a project of your own.

 These prompts can be for any type of project; a card, TN page, a photo page, your Bible. Anything!

  Remember to share your creations on the Citrus Twist Kits Friends page on Facebook,

 or on social media (please tag @citrustwistkits) .   

I look forward to see how you creatively interpret the prompts in your work.

Happy creating! 

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

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!!

Note to Self

Good morning! It's Tara here and today I'm sharing another way I like to use my Pocket Life kit - for faith journaling. I love how versatile our kits are; you can use them in so many ways and tailor them to fit your needs.

I love this journaling card that was in our "Beach Glass" Pocket Life kit this month. Our very own Diane, created this lovely brush lettering found here and in the stamps as well. The washi tape is from my stash. I love flip cards! You can add extra writing or hide it for only you to see.

I am using my traveler's notebook as a way to write down bible verses, take notes, and write out prayers daily. It's the perfect size and I love the paper! Here is a little spread I made:

Here is a closer peek:

I used some watercolor to make a few roses. They are far from perfect and a couple aren't my favorite but I'm embracing the imperfections. Then I did a wash of blue throughout the page. I also added in the GraceBox v2 stamp here and there. Again, loving the word "joy"! It actually was from the phrase "joyful heart" but I made it work. I really loved the Simple Stories white alphas that were included in April's PL kit, so I added them here too. I used a die cut tab from the "Currently" die cuts included in the May PL kit.

I'm reading a mini study called Unshakeable Moms. I took a few notes that really spoke to me behind the journaling card. These words are a reminder to help me focus on how I'm refueling myself and what I should be filled with.

Thank you for stopping by! We would love to see the different ways you use your kits. You can share it with us in our Gallery and Facebook Fan Page .

Have a lovely day! Xxo, Tara

What to do with your leftover Kits supplies

Hello, lovely creative peeps. Olya here *waves hand*

Ever have leftover supplies from your kits that you'd like to use but not sure how? Today I will show you how easy it is to make an art journal page using September Pocket Life leftovers.
I've created five 12"x12" pages using our September and Add-On kits and still had so many lovely goodies leftover that I wanted to use. Since art journaling is very hyped up right now, I wanted to show you how easy it is to make a page using nothing but the supplies you have left from your scrapbooking kits, some glue and a pen. Ready? Let's take a look!
Step One: gather your leftover kit supplies, glue, pen and a blank journal. (any blank journal will do).

If you're afraid of "ruining" the pretty notebooks you have, don't be. If you really really can't bring yourself to start on the first page, open it on the second or even fifth page. No stressing, no overthinking.

Step Two: pick any card stock paper and rip it in half or so. Glue it down. Do the same with some patterned paper. I usually use patterned papers from 6"x6" packs for my 4"x6" page pockets so I have a lot of 2"x6" trims from that.

Step Three: word stickers. I wanted my page to be sort of an inspirational advice so I picked the words from Shimelle's new line as well as Heidi Swapp's clear stickers that were almost a guidance kind of words. Step Four: non-words embellishments. I added some hearts and arrows stickers, and rub ons.

Final Step: Journaling. I decided to write down a little quote that I thought went nicely with the rest of the art journal page and the words on it. I also doodled around the word stickers, almost as if those were steps to take to achieve the happiness given in my quote.

And here is a complete art journal page, done with nothing but scrapbooking leftover supplies, pen and glue.

If you were hesitant about art journals before, I hope you're not anymore. It doesn't have to be complicated, heavy of emotional writing, full of paint and gesso or even actual journaling part. (though all those art journals are amazing too). It's just another way to express your creativity, however simple or intricate that may be. Remember there are no rules or judgements and no one has to see it but you. Unless, of course, you want to share your pages, then we would love to see your creations :)

Here's to more ways to use your scrapbooking stash and an upcoming weekend.
Cheers!

-Olya