Sunday Sketch with Andrea

Hello there everyone! Its Andrea here today with your Sunday Sketch! First off, lets look at our sketch:



Alright, now that you have seen the sketch, check out what I did with it to make my layout, using the super beautiful, fresh and bright January Kit, “Jameson”, from Citrus Twist:

I know what you are thinking, the sketch is for a 12x12 layout and mine is well...not 12x12! But I've said this before and I'll say it again, 12x12 sketches can be easily used to make layouts of other sizes. In this case, I have adapted the 12x12 sketch for my 8 ½ x 11 size layout. You can do the same. Just apply the components of the sketch, adjusted to fit your size preference. Sketches are here to help you and they are not set in stone. The point is to inspire you and give you a template, or a foundation if you will, to then build off of.

The size is not the only thing that is flexible with a sketch... As you can see with my layout, there are certain ideas that I stuck to very specifically and some that I chose to bend a little to my own creative will. One example of an exact adherence to the sketch is my use of three pictures – and specifically three pictures coordinated in this way with one large one on the right side and two smaller on the left and a bit lower down on my page. This is definitely an unusual combo for me – I don't normally use three pictures like this where one is much larger than the others and if I did, it wouldn't be my first inclination to line them up in this way. But this is the fun of sketches, you get out of your box and start working those creativity muscles, really stretching them out in ways you didn't even know they could go!

I really love the look of this layout because of the size and arrangement of the pics on the page. It looks really cool and I think it works perfectly for my subject matter as well which is of course, Valentines Day and my funny Valentine, my hubby Ryan! I knew I wanted to make a fun Valentines Day layout for my hubby and the three pics in the sketch along with the two titles that are called for in the sketch (at the top and bottom of the page) are what actually led me to making this layout not just about Valentines Day and our love, but how silly we are and how much I love that about us! I decided to use the beautiful exclusive blue puffy alphas from the January kit to spell out “Be Mine” at the top and I used the pretty script from Fancy Pants for the “laugh” title at the bottom. The combination of these words chose my theme for me. Without this sketch, I don't know if I would have been inspired to tell this specific story and it makes me really happy that I did because it is a special one which says a lot about who we are as a couple.

As for the “bending the rules” that I talked about before, there are a few things in the sketch that I tweeked a little. I chose to use hearts instead of stars (for Valentines Day) I chose to cluster a lot of the embellishment pieces together (along with the tag in the sketch) instead of having them spread out more. As you can see, for these embellishments, I had lots of fun with the exclusive pieces from the January kit, especially the pretty resin hearts and the fun cut apart labels and pieces from the ephemera pack. I also chose to put the second title over on the right side of the page instead of the left. I used the sketch to fit me and my style and I think it works great!

I hope that this has inspired you to use our Sunday Sketch here at Citrus Twist and to use your fantastic January kit/s to make a fun layout with the sketch that specifically fits you and your style! I can't wait to see what you all do with today's sketch! Remember to upload your take on the sketch to the gallery and you will be entered to win a $5 gift certificate to the Citrus Twist Kits store! Remember to put the date of the sketch on your title line! Please also share your creations with us on Instagram, just hashtag your pics with #ctksundaysketch and #citrustwistkits !

Xoxoxo ~ Andrea

3 to Inspire with Jen

Hi everyone! Today we are being inspired by patterned paper, scraps, and memorabilia.

I created this page with a photo of my son and I at the Mother-Son dance this past fall. I was able to get a photo which I'm sure I will treasure forever! For the page, I was really inspired by scraps of 6x6 paper from the January pocket life kit.

I hand trimmed scraps with my scissors, then adhered them to the page and stitched through with my sewing machine.

I was also inspired to incorporate a ticket from the event, and I was really glad I was able to do this!

I hope you've enjoyed this layout, please tag us on social media if you use this prompt to create a project.

Have a great weekend!

Pocket Life Friday with Jen

Hi everyone! It's Friday again, which means it's time for another Pocket Life sketch. Today I'll be sharing a 9x12 page with you using the January kit.

Here's a look at the sketch. This page uses a combination of cards and photos, and is very journaling-heavy.

My page is all about starting off the new year. The products and cards in the Pocket Life kit are perfect for documenting these.

I thought the cork 2017 piece was perfect for use on this card, which forms the title for my page.

I was in love with the 6x6 patterned papers in the Pocket Life kit and thought it would be fun to create a layered card with them. I simply cut one diagonally and adhered/stitched it to another piece of paper cut to 4x6. On top, I layered a die cut and a cork piece.

Isn't that Winnie the Pooh card so cute? Love it.

Thanks for visiting Pocket Life Friday, where every week we share PL sketches and a chance to win. For your chance to win, create a layout based on the sketch in this blog post, post your layout to our Gallery or our Facebook Fan Page by Friday, January 13th, 2017. Be sure to include PL 1/6 in the title!

I Blooming Love You

Good morning!  Do any of you still feel like it can't possibly be 2017?  I know I can't.  It's a new year and hopefully the start of an awesome year.  Not sure how many of you feel this way but I am certainly hoping it is better than last year.

For today I have just one page for you.  Work has been crazy (I work retail, at Michaels actually and there is so much to be stocked for every upcoming holiday) but I needed to make something pretty to start out the New Year.

Ironically enough, this photo was taken the first week of January in 2010.  My middlest little munchkin just a few months before she became a big sister.  I love this moment and remember it like yesterday.  I was telling her jokes to get her to sit still and lucked out on the biggest smile ever.

Thank you all for stopping by to see my first page of 2017.  Here's to so many more happy moments and just as many pretty scrapbook pages to help us remember them forever.

Brenda

Traveler's Notebook with Diane

After I've finished using my kits for all my Project Life pages, I love using whatever is left over in my Traveler's Notebook. It's so fun creating these little, stress-free layouts. And it's quick. This page took me less than 20 minutes!

Here is the process video for how this page came together...

Do you use Traveler's Notebooks for your everyday documenting?

Tuesday Tutorial with Jen - Gelato Packaging Technique

Hi everyone! Jen here and today I'm sharing a simple tutorial using gelatos. I created this layout using the January 2017 Pocket Life and sprinkles kit.

 Watch the video below to see more detail on this technique and how the layout came together!

Super simple but creates a big impact! By using the packaging technique along with gelatos, you can create a soft look that goes with any theme.

 I hope you'll try this technique soon! Happy New Year!

Sunday Sketch with Suse

Hey gang, Suse with you today for today's Sunday Sketch Challenge. I hope you're going to enjoy this one... it's truly simple and there is a *lot* of white space for you to play with - or leave completely clean as I have!

So let's start with our sketch: a very simple grid design of layered embellished squares...

My plan for this page was to make a note of my New Year's resolutions and say 'hi' to 2017 officially!

 The fresh yellows, gentle blues and hot pinks in the January kits really helped to contribute to the positive vibe I wanted for my page.

Keeping your photo loosely the same size as the other squares in the grid helps to unify things visually. If your image features colours that don't quite match your scheme, just pop it into black and white for a crisp, fresh look.

My journalling features bullet-points made by stamping cute little star shapes from the stamp set, but you could use enamel dots or small stickers instead. 

Think about playing around with height too: popping foam pads behind certain areas to make them really stand out can look lovely. I couldn't resist using this hot pink telephone from Kim Watson's gorgeous new line. 

And if you're uncomfortable with quite so much white on your page, you could consider adding a loose watercolour wash or lots of splatters to add extra interest. Some white hand-stitching - hearts or stars perhaps - could look fab too.

I really hope you play along with this challenge today! All you need to do is create a layout inspired by my sketch then upload it to the CTK gallery with today's date in the title and you will be in with a chance to win a $5 gift certificate to spend in the CTK store. Have fun, gang!