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

Meet our May Guest Design - Lorilei Murphy

We're super excited to share this month's Guest Designer with you - the super talented, Lorilei Murphy!  We have been such big fans of her creative projects for so long - Lorilei always amazes us with her stunning work and this month is definitely no different!

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GET TO KNOW LORILEI

Hi there!  I am Lorilei Murphy (pronounced Lauralee), and I live in the country just north of Calgary, Alberta with my husband and 15 yr old daughter!  I love to create and adore all things related to memory keeping.  I have the privilege of working with some wonderful companies such as Crate Paper, Pinkfresh Studio and Felicity Jane as a design team member and enjoy being part of the community!

Q&A WITH LORILEI

When did you start scrapbooking?

I officially started scrapbooking in June of 2017!  Over the years I have dabbled occasionally, but I could never really figure it out until then!  I had been doing Project Life for a couple of years before I started scrapbooking.

What is something most people would not know about you?

I suppose most people wouldn't know that my left arm is held together with screws at the elbow.  Five years ago fell and shattered my elbow and the surgeon put it back together the best he could, my arm is permanently bent at an angle.  I still think about straightening my arm!

What are the 3 scrapbooking products you can’t live without?

Foam/Dimensional Adhesive (love me some layers), Busy Bee Scissors (love me some fussy cutting) and White Cardstock for backgrounds!!

What do you love about the May Life Crafted “Excursions” kit?

I made two projects with the May Scrapbooking Add-On kit; I love how well everything co-ordinates (I tend to be matchy-matchy) and how many products are in the kit!  I adore the Life Crafted Albums, and the new page protectors are fabulous!!

Finish this sentence "If you could see my scrapbooking space right now . . . "

Is clean!!  I usually clean up in between projects so that I can start with a clean slate when I head down to my craft room.  In the middle of projects, it is a disaster!!

And here is just a look into her beautiful creative space:

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For my 2nd project with the May Scrapbook Add-On I made a 12x12 layout featuring the All Heart collection by Crate Paper.  I decided to make a painted background inspired. by the gorgeous colors in All Heart.

I added two photos and a chipboard "photo" onto a line with some small clothespins from my stash. I knew I had to keep a good spot for the Heidi Swapp Gold phrase as well!

I decorated the photos with chipboard, puffy stickers and gold hearts from the Heidi Swapp stickers.

Once I was almost done I decided to add a little cluster of embellishments at the bottom of the page where the trail of paint thinned out.  The chipboard Happy was the perfect piece to built the small cluster around.

I had a fantastic time guesting for Citrus Twist Kits!  I hope you enjoyed my layout!

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If you are not already then you must make sure you are following Lorilei so you can continue to be inspired by her beautiful work! You can see more of Lorilei at:

    

  

Meet our March Guest Designer - Krystal Becker

Today we are so excited to share with you are next Guest Designer for March, Krystal Becker.  If you are not already following Krystal then you really should - her Instagram feed is an absolute delight to scroll through!  You can see more of Krystal's amazing work on her blog and YourTube channel!

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GET TO KNOW KRYSTAL

My name is Krystal Becker, and I live in a small, rural, college town in Indiana. I have been with my partner, Jesse, for nearly 19 years, and we have four furry children (two dogs and two cats). They are my everything! By day I'm a librarian. I currently work as the Marketing and Communications Director of our local public library.

I've been crafting nearly my entire life. I used to spend hours with my grandmother making little gifts for other family members out of painted wood, paper, fabric, pipe cleaners, or whatever else she could find in her closets. My style today is a little bit eclectic. I used to be very minimalist and only used clean white backgrounds, but I've been dipping my toes in the mixed media pond lately, and I'm starting to embrace a "messier" look. However, I always select limited color palettes for my projects to keep things cohesive and to prevent them from looking too overwhelming to my eye.

Q&A WITH KRYSTAL

When did you start scrapbooking?

I made my very first scrapbook when I was in high school (in the mid 90's). I didn't know that there were special products for scrapbooking back then, so I just used whatever I could find around the house (construction paper, confetti, bits from magazines, etc.). It wasn't until around 2005, after I graduated from college and had some spare time, that I discovered the world of papercrafting. I've basically been addicted to pretty paper ever since. 

What is something most people would not know about you?

Scrapbooking is not my only hobby; I also sing. I've been singing my entire life, and even spent a year touring with a production company right out of high school. I'm currently in a local jazz band and also sit in with an old-timey band at times. 

What are the 3 scrapbooking products you can’t live without?

Only 3?! This is going to be difficult. I definitely need patterned paper, and I use labels on nearly everything I create, so I would definitely need some of them. Then I'd probably want something with some kind of dimension. Enamel dots are usually my go-to. So yeah, I'd say patterned paper, labels, and enamel dots.

What do you love about the new Life Crafted kit?

I am seriously in love with the Life Crafted albums! I struggled with the idea of traveler's notebooks for a long time. I like the size, but they seemed so limiting to me. With the Life Crafted album, you get the same size but with the flexibility to add in smaller bits and lots of dimension. The Life Crafted kits make it so easy to put together pages for the album. They have everything you need, all perfectly coordinated. I can sit down and create multiple pages in no time at all, which is important when you have limited time to create. 

Finish this sentence "If you could see my scrapbooking space right now . . . "

...you might be appalled. :) My space is far from ideal. I have a wall of make-shift shelving in the sun room of our tiny cottage and an Ikea desktop precariously perched on some small wire shelves. Our two cats spend a lot of time in this room, so I'm always fighting a battle with cat hair (and usually losing). It's generally a hot mess. But I make it work. :)

And here is just a little peek into her creative space:

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The pages I created are in my "Books in 2019" album. (I had previously posted the cover page I made for the album using the February CTK kit on Instagram). I made four two-page spreads documenting four of the books I've read so far in 2019.

Thanks so much for having me as a guest designer!  Krystal

Meet our August Guest Designer & Sunday Sketch with Jessica Upton

We are so happy to finally share our August Guest Designer with you!  This month we have the talented Jessica Upton working with our Perfectly Post Scrapbooking and Pocket Life kits.  We've been a huge fan of Jessica's for so long and were thrilled when she agreed to join us this month.

I was born and raised in beautiful Colorado. After college, I moved around a lot with my first husband and our 2 girls. We lived in Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, Colorado and Washington DC. After I got divorced, I moved back to Colorado to be near my family. I have been here ever since. I met Keith (my hubby) and we got married, had a little boy and just this past fall made all of our dreams come true by purchasing our dream home on 5 acres. Besides my love for photography, words and crafting, I love horses, reading and cooking. I also started my own business, Color Cast Designs, that has become a huge part of my life.

Q&A with Jessica

When did you start scrapbooking?

I started scrapbooking in 2002 just after my oldest was born. Believe it or not, I did not scrapbook originally to preserve my memories, I did it to make ends meet so that I could stay home with my daughter. I thought I would make good money selling Creative Memories. Boy was I wrong, instead, I found a new hobby and something that I became ever so passionate about. And, instead of making money, I spent it all on scrapbooking supplies. Opps! This lead to me finding my local scrapbook stores and the rest is history.

What is something most people would not know about you?

Something that most people would not know about me is that I met my husband on eHarmony! Meeting someone online as a single mother of 2 young girls terrified my own mother, but proved to be amazing for me. I found my lobster.

What are three scrapbooking products you can’t live without?

I can not live without my Tim Holtz tiny attacher, wood veneer and stamps (that was a hard one as I had a few more items I wanted to add).

What do you love about the Perfectly Posh kit?

The Perfectly Posh kits are absolutely gorgeous! I love the summer and travel bits and pieces that are included. If I had to pick just one thing that I loved the most, it would be the die cuts. They are stunning and I love layering with them on both Travelers Notebook spreads and Project Life.

Finish this sentence - If you could see my scrapbooking space now..

If you could see my scrapbooking space right now, you would do one of 2 things: 1. Walk away from the sight of the tornado like mess left behind or 2. You would offer to come in and help me get the mess organized and put back together. I guess it depends on what kind of person you are. 😉

And now let's join Jessica working this weeks Sunday Sketch!

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First up, here is a look at this weeks sketch:

I took this photo of the gorgeous Mount Rainier Cherries when I was visiting Seattle this summer. When I saw the cherry paper in the Perfectly Posh kit, I knew I had to use it with that photo. It was a match made in heaven. I used the Sunday Sketch, but made my layout into a Travelers Notebook spread as that is how I document in addition to Project Life. I love using sketches as a starting off point.

The little cherry die cut was also the perfect addition to my spread. I love the look of it right on my photo in some of the white space. A few enamel dots and cork are the perfect finishing touches to this side of my spread.

The sweet pleasures card included in the Project Life kit was a great addition to my spread also as these cherries are oh so sweet! I ran it through my typewriter to add my journaling and layered it with some die cuts, leather pieces and cork. I love all of the textures!

For added texture, I roughed up some of the edges of my papers and embellishments and used my tiny attacher in a few spots. I love how this spread turned out.