"Love" with Kira

Hey again!  It's Kira and I am back with another 8.5x11 scrapbook layout using the April Life Crafted kit along with some of the digital elements. Here's a look at my layout:

I started by printing one of the digital TN papers to 8.5x11 size.  My printer has the ability to print without borders (I'm not sure if everyone's does that, but my last printer certainly did not, so I take full advantage of this feature!), so when I pull up the TN papers, I am able to select the print without borders option and get a full 8.5x11 sheet of patterned paper.  I do this ALL THE TIME now.  Lol.

Anyway, I went with this pretty ombre wood grain paper since my son is wearing a blue shirt, I thought the photo would really pop off the page.  I kept my layout fairly simple, focusing on a vertical design with a smattering of embellishments.

One of the things I love best about the monthly kits is the variety of textures and dimensions you receive.  So 99% of the time, I am going to include a bit of chipboard, puffy sticker and cardstock die cuts if I can!  (And I totally did here!)

To add even more texture, I ripped the top and bottom of my page, tucked in some more patterned paper, and even a die cut up top, and then stitched the torn pieces down with some embroidery thread.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

xo, Kira

Traveler's Notebook Challenge with Patricia

Hi, Everyone!  Patricia with you to share a Traveler's Notebook Challenge using the April Life Crafted Make It a Venti and the April Scrapbooking Add-On Kit.

My challenge is to add some hand stitching to your Traveler's Notebook using the thread that comes in the April Scrapbooking Add-On Kit.  Using the pattern paper from the Add-On Kit as inspiration for my stitching, I pierced and followed the design, changing directions and the kind of stitching, but staying within the pattern paper design.  Then adhered this page into my TN album.

To finish this page, I fussy cut the butterflies from the Add-On Kit pattern paper to adhere along the edges, added my photo, and embellishments from the April Life Crafted Kit.  For my right side, I placed my photo and stamped the April This is the Life "Daily Grind" stamp set under it.  So many possibilities with this stamp set.  I used three different inks and added stars from the April Life Crafted Kit.

I used a die cut, more stamping, and the Exclusive Tiny Alphabet Stickers with Gold Foil from the Life Crafted Kit to type my journaling and add more stamping.  I replaced the word 'coffee' with that adorable coffee cup stamp.  It has three parts to it:  the cup, the liquid, and the smiley face.

Filled in the space between my photo and journaling with another Life Crafted embellishment to balance the blue on the left side.  I stayed within the pattern paper for the handstitching, and even did a couple of French Knots, but I think this would also work directly on your pages if you double-up that page with a blank one under it, so you have a new page to work with without seeing the stitching.  Add as much or as little handstitching to your next TN spread and share in the CTK Fan Page on Facebook and/or on Instagram using the tags #citrustwistkits @citrustwistkits so we can all see and leave a comment!

Sunday Sketch with Alena

Hey everyone!  It's Alena with  layout for Sunday Sketch.

Here's a look at the sketch this week:

Instead of creating a traditional 12x12 layout, I wanted to show you how easily these sketches can translate into a Life Crafted Album's pages.

I just divided the layout exactly in the middle .

The gorgeous colors in the kit this month are perfect for my photos.

I made my title using the  different stickers from the kit .

To get an even more layered feeling I add a few labels from the April digitals.

Well, then it is time for you be inspired by the sketch to create a page of your own.  Remember to share your creations with us on the Citrus Twist Kits Friends page on Facebook or by using #CTK, @Citrustwistkits on social media.  I cannot wait to see what you create with this sketch.

3 To Inspire With Theresa

Hello Lovelies, Theresa here with 3 To Inspire! I have an inspirational layout to share with you today and three simple prompts to inspire you to create! I am using the April Make It A Venti kit today along with the Traveler's Notebook stamp set. In this series we give you three recipe items, or prompts, to use in your layouts. Here are our prompts:

1. Mixed media background inspired by a patterned paper. I love creating quick mixed media backgrounds and using a patterned paper for inspiration is a great way to spark your creativity!

2. Use a cut file in an unexpected or unplanned way. For this layout I intended to use the patterned paper side of the cut file, but once I laid everything out realized I liked it better in white. I love the flexibility cut files give us!

3. Use stamps to help tell your story. I was so inspired by the sentiments of the Traveler's Notebook stamp set this month and created this entire layout just to use them! I think you will enjoy creating a layout that empowers you with these stamps!

 My layout today was inspired by the stamps and I knew I wanted to begin with a mixed media background. I have used the floral patterned paper below to inspire my colors for the background - pink and periwinkle. For my background I used India Inks and water on watercolor paper.

I fell in love with the Floral Screen cut file this month! Originally I planned to use it with the patterned paper side up, but as you can see, the white pops against the background beautifully and allows those gorgeous florals to show so well!

My basic design concept of this layout is very horizontal, with photos and journal cards going across the page. Everything else flows from this horizontal line, including the die cut, ephemera, and stamps. My favorite way to use stamps is with black ink against a mixed media background. They also serve as a home base for each embellishment cluster above and below the journal cards.

I also have an extended process video, if you'd like to see the layout come together:

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you are inspired to create and cannot wait to see how you are using your Make It A Venti kits this month! See you again soon!

Life Crafted with Marsha

Hey friends!  Marsha here again today, and I'm excited to be sharing a spread in my Life Crafted Album.  I used this month's Life Crafted "Make It a Venti" kit and the Life Crafted Stamp Add-on to create this layout.  I just love the colors and designs in this kit!  I also love that even though it is coffee themed, this kit can be used for lots of other types of documenting.

To begin the layout, I chose one of this month's exclusive cut files, "Retro Heart."  The best part about using this cut file is it's already sized to fit perfectly in the Life Crafted album!  I resized one of the traveler's notebook digital papers using my Silhouette Studio software.  By doing this, I was able to cut the entire file using patterned paper.   I then layered the cut file over a white cardstock base.

For my journaling, I chose one of the labels from the Make It a Venti Cut Aparts.  I layered the label over an ephemera piece from this month's kit.  The tiny tile alphabet stickers were perfect for adding the date.  To finish off this side of the layout, I added a chipboard heart sticker from last month's Life Crafted "Life Chapters" Kit.

For the other side of the layout, I printed another digital TN paper and sized it to fit in the album.  I layered a piece of white cardstock down the center of the paper, so that the heart pattern was peeking out on both sides.  Next, I trimmed a few of the kit papers to layer behind this cute photo of my niece, and used some of the ephemera pieces from this month's kit to embellish this area.  I hand cut a heart using the woodgrain paper and added it to the cluster.  Using a border punch from my stash and the pink patterned paper from the kit, I cut a scalloped border piece and tucked it behind the photo.  I saved another scalloped piece to add to the bottom of the page.  I love how this mimics the scallop from the heart cut file!

For my title, I chose the ephemera "THIS" die cut and added some of the puffy alphabet stickers from the kit.

To finish off the spread, I added some machine stitching to a few areas of the layout, and I used the Life Crafted Stamp Add-on to stamp a couple of sentiments around the page.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I can't wait to see what you create using this month's Life Crafted "Make It a Venti" kit!

Project Life Challenge with Laura Rahel

Hey there CTK fan! I'm Laura Rahel Crosby, a memory keeper and self-love advocate from Charlotte, NC. I'm really excited to share one of my April Citrus Twist Kits projects with you today because if you know me, you know that documenting my story is an important part of my life. I love scrapbooking and sharing that inspiration with you! Today I'm working in my 2018 project life album with the April 2019 Life Crafted kit.

The gorgeous colors in the kit this month are perfect for documenting the week I met my new baby niece last year. The photos I was including were filled with lots of whites, creams, pinks, and grey tones which matched the pinks and yellows in the kit awesomely. Watch the process video to see how this page came together!

My challenge for you is to use this month's life crafted kit in an unconventional way. I used mine to document photos from 10 months ago instead of from this month. From a totally different season in my life and of the year. How will you use your Life Crafted kit?

Happy crafting friends,
Laura Rahel

Using Scraps & Textiles in Your Papercrafting

I wanted to create a lot of texture and dimension for this particular project, so I pulled out my scrap stash.  I save all kinds of textiles, papers, and interesting scraps in my bin, and I knew I wanted to mix some in with this month's gorgeous kit!

For this side of my spread, I layered on a torn book page, a 3x4 card as my title, and this great textile I actually cut off a sweater that I loved without it.  It was such a beautiful color and for some reason I loved that chicken wire design.  I knew I wanted to layer it behind my photo as a little page tab.

For the opposing page, I continued the torn born page to create a cohesive look, and I also layered on the same elements.  I made sure my photos on each page were within the same color pattern.  In fact these photos inspired the entire color scheme of this spread.  I love doing that sometimes!

I finished up the spread with a pink tab and those great leaf pieces from the ephemera pack this month.  It was such an easy spread, but I loved all the texture and dimension.  It was such a treat to just play without thought of the outcome.