Tuesday Tutorial - Bible journaling with Rachel

Hey there it’s Rachel Lindas on the CTK blog today giving you a tutorial on my process for Bible Journaling.

In the May Gracebox kit we were given the Illustrated Faith Fruit of the Spirit Ephemera. The die cuts are personally one of my favorite supplies to work with in my Bible. They are the perfect size for my margins and it’s easy to just use one or later them in your margin. For this page I’m using Galatians 5:22-25 “The fruit of the Spirit...”

When I was reading through the verses the words in verse 25 really spoke to me. (If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.) I knew I wanted to highlight those words in my margin. Then as you will see I just began using the die cuts and layered the fruits in the margin as my base. I added the the text ( Keep in step with the Spirit) on top of the fruit. I then added paint strokes, some stamping, and finished with some paint splatters.

Here is the process video of how it came together!

3-to-Inspire with Anna

Happy Saturday dear CTK friends! Anna here on the blog with this month's last 3-to-Inspire challenge (where did April go? Anyone can tell?) 

Anyway this is one of my favorite challenges and I love to share it with you. Hope you'll join me and play along for a chance to win a little something from the shop, YAY!

Here's the prompts for today:

1. Use stamp(s)

2. "Frame" your layout

3. Use at least two (2) stickers

And here's the page I came up with!

I've used the Savannah Main and Embellishment Kit on my page. I'm toltally in love with the happy colors and gorgeous embellishments included this month. It's pure happiness for sure!

My page started with my base paper on which I printed my chosen photo in an edited, almost translucent, version. I framed it with one of the patterned papers from the Main Kit and also I made a stitched frame with my old trusty sewing machine.

I stamped the Alpha Stamp set on the Vellum sheet from the Main Kit and used it for my layers under my photo. Tucked in one of the lovely Pinkfresh Studio stickers into my layers as well.

More gorgeous stickers!! And another stamp, my date stamp (from my own stash)

And who can resist these lovely glittery enamel shapes by Shimelle Box of Crayons?!

Abolutely gorgeous!

I love this little curly arrow stickers  from My Minds Eye Wander collection, soooo CUTE!

AND! Yet another stamped text from the stamp set from the Main Kit as well.

Anothe new favorite of mine, these fabulous die-cut phrases by Dear Lizzy Stay Colorful, irresisteble!

Now it's your turn. use the three (3) prompts to create your own project, marked with todays date, 4/28 3-to-Inspire, and share it with us on our CTK Fan Page on Facebook! I can't wait to see your take on this one!

Thanks for stopping by! Take care, Anna xo 

April GraceBox with Rachel

The April Grace Box was filled with lots of goodies to Bible Journal with. One of my favorite products to work with is paper pieces because there are so many variations of layouts you can create with them.  Today I’m sharing five different pages of layouts I created using the April Grace box.

For the first layout I wanted to use this “hey girl hey” ephemera (isn’t it the cutest?)  in combination with the new clear alpha’s from Illustrated Faith for the Hebrews 10:24 verse. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works....”  this verse is reminding us that if we want to be able to finish this race we need one another to succeed. We need to encourage others and be encouraged to complete the task God has given us. God knew we would stumble and want to give up so he gave us one another to help us stand strong. So gather with your girlfriends and start stirring!

For most of these layouts I just layered paper pieces on top of each other and then added some washi and some paint splatter to the top. I left room on most of my margins for journaling space to document what I’m learning from the verses.

For this next layout I went with hexagon shapes and just built them down the margin. The clear alphas are the perfect size to add titles and key words right in the middle of the text because you can see through them and they are narrow enough to fit a lot of words in. I love them! At the top of this layout it says, “Our lives should be in harmony with the Gospel we claim to bear.”  An easy way to add to any of your grace box kits is to type up a quote, or something your pastor said at church,  or a blurb from a devotional your reading on your computer and print it out on clear sticker paper. If your handwriting isn’t your favorite it’s an easy way to add lettering to your pages. 😉

And for my last layout I used the rub ons. I am really enjoying the rub ons from American Crafts! I traveled by plane to Texas for Spring Break and wanted to bring my Bible but didn’t want to bring all the paints with me. So I grabbed the rub ons and these new Block Alpha stamps and created this page from the seat of the airplane. I love that you can achieve a painted look without any of the mess. And how gorgeous is the gold foil rub ons? Those gold fireflies are adorable!

Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed seeing multiple different layouts from the same kit. I pray you get time in your Bible creating and connecting with your Creator!

Till next time, Rachel 

“Love This” Pocket Pages by Suzanna Stein

Hey there, crafty pals! I’m so excited to be back sharing another project and post here on the Citrus Twist Kits’ blog!

If you’re anything like me, you might forget to take pictures in the moment, and then find yourself trying to document small stories with only a few photos. Today, I’m going to share a few tips on how to work with just a couple photos and tell a small story in a full layout!

For this layout, I wanted to tell the story of a fun lunch date - I only took 2 photos (one before we left and one in the car), the photos are very similar, and my story isn’t super long.

A lot of everyday moments and memories end up like this, and if you’re not a weekly pocket page scrapper, these little stories can go untold.

I started out with my two photos, and then chose 6 cards from the kit that I liked together. I chose the placement of my photos - because these two photos are so similar, I chose to put them on opposite ends of the layout.

When deciding on the “ratio” of cards, I used this model: 2 decorative, 2 title, 2 journaling.

By following a layout model, or ratio, for layouts like this, I am able to go into it with a plan and not feel lost or overwhelmed. I started by embellishing my decorative cards, since this was the simplest step.

Then, I moved to embellishing my photos.

From there, I worked on my title cards - I used one for a very descriptive “title” or large sentiment, and the other for a general sentiment that described how I felt about the story I was telling.

I’m a person of few words when it comes to my layouts. I usually go with a sentence or two and let the photos tell the story. With a story like this, where the photos don’t tell very much, except who I was with, using your feelings on the moment can make a huge difference!

Thinking outside the box with the cards you choose can also make a big difference. The “Here & Now” grid card was perfect because there isn’t a ton of journaling on that card, but when you’re looking at it, it seems as though it tells a big part of the story of this layout!

I also used stamps to fill in empty spaces on cards throughout the layout. It’s a subtle step, but makes a huge difference in the overall layout.

I really love the way this layout turned out and am so happy I documented this small everyday moment. These are the memories I love to look back on, and I know in the future, I won’t care how many photos I had, how similar they were, etc. All that matters is that the story was documented!

Whether the memory is huge and you have tons of photos, or it’s a small everyday moment with just a photo or two - I encourage you to document it and don’t be afraid of using an entire layout for it - every memory is special!

I’ll be sharing more crafty goodness with the Savannah kit throughout the month over on Instagram!
Thanks for reading!

- Suzanna

Tuesday Tutorial with Nathalie | Create a TN insert with Digital elements

Hello friends!!!

Nathalie with you today.  Have you visited the new website already?  Well, besides being fresh and user friendly, now the shop also offers digital copies of the PL cards.  These cards do not only increase the number of options for pocket pages, but can also be used to create your own patterned paper, ephemera, and so much more.   So today, I want to show you how i combined the new digital journaling cards with the beautiful Savannah main kit in my Traveler's Notebook.

This month's Savannah Scrapbook kit includes a 8.5x11 sheet of vellum (i am kind of addicted to vellum, and import it monthly to my stash!!) which is perfect for creating an insert or tip in for my Traveler's Notebook.

For this "insert", i used Photoshop to create my own patterned paper using one of the digital card images.   I am not a master at Photoshop, but this process (which is the one used to add digital stamps to photographs) is simple,  easy to follow, and pretty much foolproof.  So sit back, and see how i used the digital card to create the print on vellum:

Isn't that easy?!!  As a daily journaler,  the option of going hybrid for some of my entries helps to reduce the bulk added to the inserts.  Plus this way, i get to transform my beloved vellum into this beautiful translucent paper that can add that special touch to my pages.

Now, if you have seen my work before, then you know i like adding inserts/tip-ins in my books. This time i used the printed vellum as a means to add my title, and offer a peak of what the next page encases, thus tying all the pages together.

The new page is more of a traditional TN entry, and uses this month's Savannah scrapbook  and embellishment kits (the grid paper is the packaging from the Pinkfresh Studio cardstock stickers!) as well as the This is Life "Detours" stamp set.  Here are a few more close ups of the spread:

This entry came together in no time once I had the printed vellum.  Honestly, I devote 20 minutes a day for my daily TN entries, and going hybrid is a good way to speed your daily documenting.  The following video, will show you how easy is to create this vellum insert/tip-in for your notebook:

Well that's it for me today.  Remember to stop by the new Citrus Twist  Kits store to check not just the kits but also all the new digital files available for purchase, and lots of free new ones (trust me there are a lot more coming your way!).  As always let me know if you have any questions.  I cannot wait to see how you use the new digitals in your documenting processes.

XOXO

Nathalie

Sunday Sketch with Kathleen

Hey friends :) I'm here with another Sunday Sketch challenge and it might be one of my favourite Citrus Twist Kits sketches I've worked with so far. A sketch that involves lots of circles can only be good, if you ask me ;) So, here's the sketch:

And here is my take on it*. You will see that I stuck almost 100% to the sketch - I juts really loved the design. The only thing that didn't work out for me was the wide paper strip in the lower part of the layout, behind the photo and title.

* You can find a process video for my layout at the end of this post 

But other than that, it's almost exactly as it is in the sketch. Of course you can change it up as much or as little as you like. I just didn't feel like it needed a lot of changing.

For the circles in the sketch I used a 1.5" paper punch and punched them out of some of the patterned papers and also the sheet of vellum from the Scrapbook Main kit. For the navy blue circle in the second row I used a sticker from the Pinkfresh Studio The Mix No. 2 cardstock stickers - it had the perfect size, fit the colours of my punched out circles perfectly and even had a phrase that fit for this page. It was almost meant to be ;)

I also used some smaller circle stickers, punch outs and embellishments to layer on the bigger circles, and added some stitching, too. For the circles where I added another paper layer, I used my sewing machine to stitch the layer down in order to add more dimension.

Now onto the lower half of the layout. The sketch shows a tag tucked in behind the photo and I planned to add my journaling on it. To be able to pull it out, I used the vellum from the main kit to make a pocket that would hold the tag.

To make my photo stand out a little more, I wanted to add some colour behind it, but none of the patterned papers really worked. In the end I used that beautiful striped paper from the Pink Paislee/Paige Evans "Pick Me Up" foam mini alpha sticker package.

For my title I used a mix of those mini alpha stickers and a die cut from the American Crafts "Stay Colorful" ephemera pack. And, to finish it off, of course I added some paint splatters and some stamping with the CTK exclusive stamps.

And as promised before, here is the process video, in case you want to see how this page came together :)

I am very happy with how the layout turned out - especially with the colour scheme. I don't think I've ever used it before but I am very much in love with it. So you might be seeing another project with the same colours soon, haha ;)

Now it's your turn!  To play along with this week's sketch and to be eligible to win a $5 gift certificate to the CTK Store,  create a layout based off of this week's sketch and upload it to the CTK Facebook group with today's date (04/15) in the description. Can't wait to see what you all come up with!!

Pocket Life Challenge with Jennie

TGIF! This is Jennie and I have a challenge for you! Every Pocket Life Citrus Twist Kit comes with an awesome stamp set that is super easy to use in your pocket pages. For these pages, I used the Savannah Pocket Life Kit and the April 2018 Embellishment Kit.

The alphas from the Savannah Kit are gorgeous! They are my favorite font and they have lots of numbers! 

Time for the challenge, use the stamps to go around an object or use it as a border. I used it as a border on the right top photo with Henrietta and around my daughter's photo.

To make the title card I used a 3x4 photo and I cut one inch out. To stamp the dates I used a cut apart from the FREE Printable Savannah Cut Aparts. 

I kept this card super simple because I love the paper! I am also obsessed with these Wood and Epoxy Buttons from Pinkfresh Studio!

This tag and the circle are also from the FREE Printable Savannah Cut Aparts. The arrow is from the Wander Puffy Stickers.

I love the texture of the Leatherette Stickers. You can't see it but the staples looks even better with this kind of stickers.

 This is where I went crazy stamping. I stamped the word YOGA twice using this alphabet from Citrus Twist. If you are a CTK Subscriber and you switched your subscription you are getting this gem for free! 🙌 On the right, I used the word special to make an outline around my daughter. It was tricky because it was a short word and curving it was hard. I suggest that you don't pick an out line as difficult as this one.

Get inky and join the challenge! Have a creative weekend! 

Traveler's Notebook with Veera

Hi, it's Veera here today to share a traveler's notebook spread I created with the wonderful April kit. I was so inspired by the bold and fun colors so I wanted to incorporate that to my spread.

As traveler's notebook is slightly smaller format than 12x12 layout that I also do, I wanted to make sure that the layout is not too busy. I added majority of the colors and embellishments to the right side with bold and colorful pattern paper. To balance this, I kept the left side of the spread fairly neutral but still had a strong element there also to keep the two sides in balance. 

The gold glitter phrase from Dear Lizzy is a good example of the fact that even though the format of TN is smaller you don't need to use only small embellishments.

On the right side I used embellishments of different colors and shapes. The embellishments blend quite nicely to the background but still add interest.

Are you loving the colors of April kit as much as I am?

xo Veera