MEET OUR August 2020 GUEST DESIGNER - JESS FORSTER

 

Hi there!

Today we are so excited to introduce our August 2020 guest designer.    Many of you might know her from social media, and her beautiful projects.  But  those don't match the beautiful person she is in real life!  Please help us welcome, JESS FORSTER  to Citrus Twist Kits. We are so honored she is here, so let's learn a bit more about Jess, on her own words...

Hi Everyone - My name is Jess Forster, and I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with my husband Aaron, my daughter, Rowan, and son Sam. By day I am a medical social worker working children and families diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes; by night, I enjoy being active and getting creative. I love using pocket pages and paying attention to life’s little details via heartfelt journaling. Memorykeeping helps me to make sense of the world and everything that is happening in it. I am so excited to be Citrus Twist’s Guest Designer for the month of August and especially love the theme of True Stories!

I have been on a variety of creative teams including Becky Higgins Project Life Creative Team (2014); Ali Edwards Creative Team (2017-present) and Elle’s Studio Design Team (2018 - present). I have  taught online at Ali Edwards. Com (2019) at Big Picture Classes (2015-2016), and at in person events at Crop and Create across Canada (2016-2020).

When I am is not getting crafty or making memories with her husband and two kiddos, Rowan and Sam in the Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto, ON, you can find me listening to podcasts, watching stand up comedy, running or drinking too much coffee.

Q & A with Jess

1.When did you start scrapbooking?  I started collecting scrapbooking supplies in 2008. My husband and I had finished our masters programs, got married, and we bought a house all in one year. Life was changing in new & interesting ways and I knew that I was to document that creatively. In 2010, I finally put those supplies to use after participating in Ali Edwards Week In The Life Project. After completing that project, I knew I was hooked. I have been crafting / keeping my memories / playing with pictures ever since.

2. What is something most people would not know about you?  I’ve had short hair for most of my life. For a brief period of time in the 1990’s I had the 90210 puff - but it wasn’t pretty. Although my short style has changed, I don’t think I will ever grow it out again. #Short hair don’t care! 

 3. What are the 3 scrapbooking products you can’t live without? Great question! After a decade of scrapbooking, I realize that I gravitate towards 

1 - 3x4 journaling cards

2 - Number stickers 

3 - Heart / star embellishments.

It’s true - I never met a heart / star embellishment that I didn’t like! Ha!

 4. What do you love about the August Life Crafted kit – TRUE STORIES -?   Not only do I love the bright bold summer time colours in the kit & the heart puffy stickers, but I am fan of this months theme. Stories / storytelling has always helped me to process what is happening in my life. Whether it’s “in the moment journaling” or reflecting on something that has happened in the past, storytelling is a huge part of my identity.

 

5. Finish this sentence “If you could see my scrapbooking space now . . . “ You would notice that my desk top is cleaned, my bins are somewhat organized and that the there are a ton of supplies / layouts / albums in piles on the floor that need to be put away. You would also find random scrapbook supplies around my house! Lol!

 
Documenting Small Summer Moments

 

 Hands up if you LOVE summer? I know I do, for sure! Although our family plans have been slightly altered thanks to the worldwide pandemic, I am trying to enjoy and celebrate the smaller summer moments by myself and with my family. This summer, I decide to house these stories, a collection of warm weather adventures, in the Calypso life crafted album.

 

In my first entry, a double, 3 x 8 pocket page layout, I recorded the story of my bike ride through the waterfront park. One of my favourite things to do as a kid was to ride my bike. I love the joy it brought me as a child and I also enjoy the wind on my face as an adult.  I used two, 3x4 journaling cards, one to tell a story of the past and the other to tell a story of the present. I stamped ““the story of me” on one card. I then used two arrows and the “finding my bliss” chipboard on the page in a visual triangle to draw the viewer’s eye around the page.

 

In my second entry , a double, 4x8  pocket page layout, I recorded the story of our recent trip to the playground. After our province entered into phase 3, which included opening up playgrounds to the public, I wanted to tell the story of going back and hanging out in one of our favourite weekend spots. I love the perspective of the top down photo of my son Sam playing on the wooden castle that I made that picture the star of the show.

 

Both excited and nervous, I used the 4x6 journaling card to share my thoughts and stamped the word “True Story” on the card below. I also incorporated the stamps, “The story of Today” and “family story” on the layout. I then created a visual triangle with the heart puffy stickers from this month’s kit. Gosh I love the colours of those embellishments!

 

Whether you want to tell the stories of summers past or present, I hope my pages have inspired you to document your small summer details in your life crafted albums! Thanks for looking! 

I have had the pleasure of seeing Jess teach and share her passion for documenting in real life, so i know how much of her she shared on these layouts.   They are amazing!   

Be sure to check Jess' Instagram account for lots of inspiration, and if you are lucky to find one of her classes, take it!  You will learn so much and will love every minute of it!  She will be back later in the month, but remember to leave her some love!

XO