Triangle Love With Sandy

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying scrapping with your June kits. I certainly did and have two layouts created using this month's kits to share with you today. Both feature a strong design element - the triangle. And we are talking big triangles, taking up half of each page.

The left side of this first page is taken up by a sunny yellow triangle. I used vellum (leftover from an older kit) so that you can still see hints of the water where the triangle cuts across the photo. On top of the vellum I place a long title, breaking up the text by using a combination of gold and white alphas, the white ones created by spray painting Heidi Swapp alphas from the Sprinkles Kit.

Another triangle on my next page. This time it's created by placing strips of geometric washi tape from the Main Kit on acetate which is then cut into the shape of a right-angle triangle. The translucent washi again allowing the photo below to show through. Following the slope of the triangle are a series of circular embellishments floating from the top down to the focal point of the page - the girl in the photo.


Before signing off I'll just remind you that subscribers will receive the newsletter tomorrow with sneaks of the July kits. Pre-sale starts on the 30th at 10pm PST and lasts for 24 hours. The reveal for non-subscribers  will be on the 1st and you can make your one time purchase over at the shop.

Sunday Sketch

Michelle here with you today on this last Sunday of June to share not only this week's Sketch Challenge, but also a sneak peak of some of the goodies you will find in the July Add-On Kit! (I might have even added a piece from the Embellishment Add-On.)

This week's sketch features a grid and a fun starburst:

When I first saw the sketch, I saw it as a great opportunity to include multiple photos and I did just that.

   

I had a great time mixing and matching my patterned papers on this one. I even stepped out my comfort zone and went for a grey cardstock background which I thought went pretty well the kraft alphas and gold mist. I guess you can say I like neutrals!

The tiny rub-on phrases added a fun, little touch to the layout.

 
 

To play along with this week's challenge and to be eligible to win a $5 gift certificate to use at the CTK Store, make sure and upload your project to the CTK Gallery by July 5th and please include the date of today's sketch in the title of your project!    

3 to Inspire with Karen

It's time for another edition of our "3 to Inspire" series. We offer this new challenge every Saturday for those who need a little extra push to get scrapbooking, to keep scrapbooking, or those of you just looking for a challenge!

Your take on this challenge can be in the form of a mini album, layout or PL spread and you'll want to include all 3 elements on your project.

Here's my take on the challenge, using the June PL kit & Add-on's. This kit was magical to work with. In fact I really don't think it took much 'work' at all, just lots of creative fun.

Here are your 3 to Inspire:

      1. Use a paper doily.

      2. Use some stitching.

      3. Use stamps.

Enjoy!

POCKET LIFE SKETCH FRIDAY

Hi everyone!
Here is Alena ad today I am going to share with you my new PL spread using the June PL kits+  Sprinkles Kit

Now here are the sketches that I created for you!  One of the sketches  6x8 and two sketches 3x4.

 I hope you wil enjoy them! Can't wait to see your creations with them!

WEEK 21 WITH AMELIE

Hi there! Here is Amelie today with a new PL spread using our June kits! I really love the colors of these kits! Summer is definitely here and these colors are really prefect to document some good times! This week is about our trip to Niagara Falls! I used a color palette of white, gray and yellow with some wood touches!

 

 I hope you like it!
See you next month!
Amelie

Learning More About Citrus Twist Kits

We have had many requests for more information about our kit club, so we thought we would share some of the details in today's blog post.

Citrus Twist Kits was founded in 2012. We pride ourselves on great customer service (the heart of Citrus Twist Kits), value-packed kits (our Main kits start at $26 a month and our PL kits are $19.50 a month, plus shipping), kits that inspire, and flat rate shipping for our customers.

We work our business with our customers at the center of our thoughts, always.

Kit Subscription Pricing
Main kits

• $26 a month with a 6-month subscription
• $29 a month with a 3-month subscription
• $32 for a single kit, no subscription required

Pocket Life Kits

• $19.50 a month with a 3-month subscription

We ship world-wide via USPS, beginning on the 10th each month, with the following flat-rate shipping for our subscribers:

Main Kit Subscribers and Main Kit + PL Kit Subscribers

• U.S.—$8.25
• Canada—$12.00
• International—$18.00

Pocket Life Subscribers

New PL-only subscribers can use the appropriate code below to bring your shipping down to these rates when you purchase your subscription:

• U.S.—$6.25 - Use coupon code 2USPLSHIPDISCOUNT (for a $2.00 discount off $8.25 shown in cart)
• Canada—$9.00 - Use coupon code CANADA3OFFPLSHIP (for a $3.00 discount off $12.00 shown in cart)
• International—$14.00 - Use coupon code 4INTLPLSHIPDISCOUNT  (for a $4.00 discount off $18.00 shown in cart)

As a kit subscriber you always pay the flat rate shipping, including any add-on kits or shop items you order. 

Subscriber Pre-Sale

Our subscriber pre-sale begins at 10 p.m. PST on the last day of each month and runs for 24 hours. We also stock the Citrus Twist Kits Shop for pre-sale.

Weekly Challenges

We have weekly challenges with giveaways for those of you who like a little extra incentive. These challenges are on our blog every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Our Community

We have a fun, supportive community over on our Facebook Citrus Twist Kits Fan Page. We welcome anyone there, even non-kit subscribers, to join.

You can learn more about Citrus Twist Kits by visiting our About page here. You can view our kits here. New subscriptions will begin with the July kit(s) as our June kits are currently sold out.

We love to hear from you so send us an email if you have any questions at citrustwistkits@yahoo.com

Tuesday Tutorial with Chantal

When I first started paper scrapbooking, the one thing I always struggled with was how to go about photographing and digitizing my projects in order to share them with others. Throughout the years, I've improved my technique but up until recently, I wasn't one hundred percent satisfied with the outcome of it all. I simply don't have the funds to buy all that fancy photography equipment (lights, etc…) and I desperately needed to figure something out.

On a whim, I decided to build myself a light reflector. All of the items used were things we already had lying around the house and better yet, I was able to recycle an empty cardboard box from a recent electrical fan purchase. 

Handmade Light Reflector

- Scissors

- Mod Podge

- Cardboard box

- Aluminium Foil

I cut two pieces of Aluminum Foil down to size and glued them to my piece of Cardboard with the Mod Podge. Doesn't even need to be perfect or pretty.

My set-up is pretty basic. The light reflector is simply propped up against one of my dining room chairs and sits on top of a piece of white cardboard paper I bought from my local dollar store. You'll need to position yourself in front of a window or patio door for some natural sunlight.

Once I've taken a picture of my layout, I email it to myself and tweak it with Photoshop. The first thing I do is size it down to 8.50 inches x 11 inches using the Crop tool.

I then brighten up my layout by using the Curve tool. As a general rule, I normally find myself dragging from the middle point directly onto the line above but this step isn't an exact science. You might need to test a few things out before you settle on something you like.

I then use the Clone Stamp tool to get rid of those spots where the white background cardboard paper might still be showing and my last steps are the Auto Tone, Auto Contrast, Auto Colour and the Unsharp Mask (in that order).

I Capture with Diane

My two fur-babies are a big feature of my PL albums and my photography in general. So today I wanted to share a few tips for capturing your furry friends in their best light.

Firstly, its best to not use a flash with animals. The bright flash of light can be very scary for them and once they learn to associate your camera with that fear, they’ll always shy away. Sometimes that means you won’t be able to get the best photos of them (in the evening or at night for instance).

Secondly, take a LOT of photos. Burst mode can be really helpful. But the more photos you take, the better your chances are of capturing that perfect shot.

Next, auto focus will usually try to focus on the closest point, which, in your animals case, will be their noses. Cute, yes. But for really great shots, try to focus on their eyes instead. That way their true personality can shine.

My fourth tip is to try a different angle. Shoot them from overhead looking straight down or get down on their level. Lowering the camera not only captures them at their best but also documents what life is like at their level.

Lastly, it never hurts to have their preferred treat or toy close by to really get their attention! But most importantly, your favourite photos don’t have to be perfectly exposed or sharp, they just need to show off the gorgeous little personalities that fill our lives with love!

Here, I converted a pretty badly exposed photo into grey scale (which can hide a multitude of sins) and used it as the focal point of this layout using the June Pocket Life and Sprinkles kits.

I hope some of these tips help you capture the furry friends in your lives!

Sunday Sketch with Christin and Janine

Today two members of our Citrus Twist Design Team are pairing up to give you two takes on this week's edition of our Sunday Sketch!  Before we introduce the girls and share their projects, lets first take a look at the multi-photo sketch:



Up first, we have Christin and here is what she has to say about the sketch: 

I love working with sketches and love how you can be inspired in different way by a sketch. Here is my take on the sketch that I made using the June "Splish Splash" Add-On Kit:




And a closeup of Christin's amazing multi-media layout:

 

 

Next up we have Design Team Member Janine! Here is what Janine has to say about this week's Sunday Sketch:

 

When I saw the sketch, I immediately fell in love with it and I knew I had to create a layout with it! And though at the end it doesn't look exactly as the sketch, the idea and inspiration from the sketch led me to the end result of the layout.

 

I decided to create a 6x8 layout. When I opened my kit box, my eyes fell on the flair buttons that came with the June "Splish Splash" Add-On Kit first, especially on the blue one. I knew I wanted to use it, no matter what. Then the photos that I took at Stonehenge came to mind. It fit so perfectly. As I took them with my mobile, the quality wasn't as good as it could be, so I printed it in a smaller scale which is why I chose to scrap a 6x8. I wanted the photo to be a big part of the design.

 

I built my layers with papers mainly from the Pattern Play 1 Add-On and vellum. To add my journaling, I decided to use a tag as shown in the sketch, from my stash. Next I added the flair button with some string underneath it. To create my title I used the Kelly Purkey Alphabet stamps which you can find in the shop! They aren't that big, but with the outline and "filler" for the "a" they are an eye catcher. I also decided to use the bubble speech and phrase stamp from the June Main Kit. To finish it off, I added some splatters here and there and some wood veneer hearts from the Add-On Kit.

Wow! Two talented designers and two amazing takes on this week's sketch!

Now it's your turn! Remember, if you choose to play along with this week's Sunday Sketch, by uploading your project to our Gallery you will make yourself eligible to win a $5 Gift Certificate to use at the CTK Store! Please make sure to include the sketch date in the title of your project when uploading. Looking forward to seeing your take on this week's Sunday Sketch!

3 to Inspire with Mira

Hello! It's Mira here today with 3-to Inspire challenge! You can find this challenge here every Saturday for those who need a little extra creative push to get scrapbooking, to keep scrapbooking or for those who just like a challenge! Your take on this challenge can be a layout or a PL spread and remember that you'll want to include all 3 prompts on your project.
At the beginning I have to warn You: this is not going to be an easy one ;)
Ok, so let's do this!

They say: "Less is More", right?
Do You agree?
Do You like Clean&Simple style? Have You ever try it? If not - now is Your chance to do it!

I am a huge fan of layering... even more: I loooove having plenty details on my scrapbooks, but...
I also believe that "Less is More" statement is soooo true! So today I am challenging not only You, but also myself!

Your prompts this week are:
1. Use big pictures
2. Use gold accents
3. Keep it simple

For this challenge I created simple 6x8 PL page where I was mostly focused on the pictures of my daughter.
I added the title combined with gold memory planner alpha stickers from Sprinkles kit and the wood CTK star from the PL kit. And that's it! Simple indeed!

Now it's your turn! Use the three prompts to create your own projects and share them with us in the CTK Gallery and/or on our Facebook Fan Page by Saturday, June 27th, for a chance to win. You can also upload to Instagram and tag us @citrustwistkits. I hope this one will be challenging to all of You Guys! Have fun!

Pocket Life Sketch Friday

Hello everyone! It's Mira here today with Pocket Life Friday.
I have two May pages to share - both created with June PL and Sprinkles Kits. And You know what? On the right page there is my veeeery first Citrus Twist Kits DT Package documented ;) Take a look:

It was also the week with International Day of Families (May 15th). I don't know if this is an international initiative but here in Poland some of the companies allow people to come home 2 hours earlier to spend some time together with their family. We did that for the very first time! There is even more: my hubby came home 4 hours earlier (it's unbelieveable because he's a real worcaholic)! I love having that fact included in my album!

Here are more details:

And here are your PL sketches for the week!

With my interpretations:

Thanks for visiting Pocket Life Friday, where every week we share PL sketches and a chance to win a piece of weekly fun mail. For your chance to win, create a layout based on the sketches in this blog post, post your layout to our Gallery or our Facebook Fan Page by Friday, June 26th. Be sure to include PL 6/19 in your title!

Kisses,
Mira