Travelers Notebook Challenge with Anna

Hi dear ones!

It's my premiere to host this happy challenge Travelers Notebook Challenge. I love creating in this format for a change to my usual layouts. So I've had a blast while creating this one and I hope you will like it as well.

And my challenge for you this time: Use any of our digital files on your spread (digital cutfile or printables) I've used one of the beautiful cut files, the Winter Snowflake, as my focal point on my spread.

Here's what I came up with using bits and pieces from the December Scrapbook kit, Pattern Paper Play kit and the Pocket Life kit as well.

One of my favorite from the CTK exclusive die-cut ephmeras (Pocket Life kit) is that cute little bambi and of course these puffy stickers as well. The cut file is just amazing too, it worked just perfect for my wintery skating pic.

Also I did add some machine stitching. I love the texture it brings to my design. Those classy black labels are also a winner. All the CTK exclusives are always something extra, yum!

And there you have it! Be sure to ask me if you are wondering about anything I've done on my pages and I will try to explain:)

Remember to share with us what you create with this challenge either on social media using @citrustwistkits or #citrustwistkits or on CTK friends page on Facebook.  I cannot wait how you interprete the challenge.

Thanks for stopping by! Anna xo

Tuesday Tutorial!

Hello and Merry Christmas!  I'm hoping you have had a delightful day so far and your family is healthy and happy.  Once the festivities are over, you might want to get crafty - maybe ink up some stamps and that is what I'm thinking that I'll be doing!  I have a fun and super simple tutorial for you today that I think can really help you personalize all of your projects.

The left hand side was kept super simple in order to let the stamping be the highlight.  I used a few bits and pieces from the Pleasant Valley Pocket Life Kit and it was the perfect way to put it all together!

I love stamping.  It's so much fun.  And it's also so easy to personalize your projects.  I mean, where else am I going to find something that says CAL over and over again?  Right here with the Spencer Solid Stamp Set and the Spencer Outline Stamp Set I was able to create exactly what I wanted by repeatedly stamping CAL over and over again.

Before you start, there's a couple of things to consider.  What colors will you use? I wanted to use a golden yellow and navy blue -- the colors of Cal [University of California - Berkley].  I also knew that I DID NOT want the stamping to line up perfectly.  I wanted it to be slightly and somewhat offset -- all of the letters being a little bit different.  Believe it or not, that is how I like this type of stamping best.  And these Spencer alphas are PERFECT with this!

I also wanted to make sure that each line didn't start the same way as the one before it.  So, I had to make sure to keep track of what I had started with on the line previous. I didn't want it to be too contrived or neat - I wanted to keep it casual and random.

Try stamping out your own designs!  Either use them to replace patterned paper or a large cluster of embellishments -- whatever your project calls for!

Documenting the Everyday with Nathalie

Hi there!
Nathalie with you today to give you some inspiration when it comes to documenting your every day life.   I think, some of my favorite memories to document are those of simple gestures or moments that happen in our day, and what better way to do it than with the patterns and colors of the Pleasant Valley kits. 

I decided to create a soft girly page with no flowers  -that was a major challenge for me!-   So, i pulled a folding star die from my stash and cut a few stars from  papers from the Pleasant Valley kit,  the choice of papers was made so that pink was the main color of the page.

The negative pieces from the star die cuts were used to create the stitching pattern on the background on the page.   A bit of foam adhesive holds the folded stars in place.

The picture was backed with a paper that contrasted the pink of the stars, and then nestled in the center of the layout.   One large cluster of ephemera and stickers from both the main and embellishment kits was added to the picture.

Repetition is the key to create a visual triangle on this page. In this case, stickers, hearts, labels, stamps and enamel dots.   Love the colors of the Pleasant Valley kits!!!.

I used a combination of the 1Canoe2 chipboard word stickers and the small puffy Pink Paislee alphas from the Pleasant Valley kits to create the title on the page. 

I really love how this turned out, and how easy it was to put together.   I hope this has inspired you to document your everyday moments using the beautiful PLeasant Valley kits, I cannot wait to see what you create!

Before i go, let me wish you a Blessed Christmas, let the peace of the season remain with you through the New Year!

XO

3 To Inspire with Amanda!

Hi Citrus Twist Kits Friends & Fans! 

Amanda here, and boy-oh-boy am I excited to be sharing some of my first creations with our gorgeous Pleasant Valley Scrapbook Kit! This kit is all kinds of awesomeness - so many beautiful pattern papers, and sweet embellishments! Speaking of beautiful pattern papers, I decided to make pattern papers a feature of today's challenge! But enough chatter, let's get started!

For today's edition of 3-To-Inspire, your projects will need to feature the following....

1. Pattern paper as the layout base/background (no cardstock!).
With so many beautiful pattern papers in both our Scrapbook & PL kits this should be a great opportunity to showcase them in your creating!

2. Use stamps! 
Feature any of the exclusive CTK stamps (past or present) in your layout!

3. Include a heart. 
Stickers, ephemera, stamps - whatever takes your fancy! Hearts are such an easy embellishment to adorn your layouts with!

With these 3 things in mind, here's what I crafted with the Pleasant Valley Scrapbook Kit...
First up is my 'boy' page, "Better Together" 

CTK Supplies Featured: Pleasant Valley Scrapbook Kit, Embellishment Kit. 

Other: Black stamping ink, & Shimmerz Paints: Spritz Bamboo Leaf. 

Isn't this awesome?!! Such a fun, masculine layout!

You'll spot the fabulous Pinkfresh Studio: Indigo Hills 2:  Meadow pattern paper as my layout base. I fussy cut the Heidi Swapp: Emerson Lane: Easy Peasy Paper so that I can utilise all the journal cards, tags and labels in my photo cluster. For my stamping element, I repeat stamp the arrow that features in the 2" x 3" clear polymer stamp in the Scrapbook Kit. 

You'll spot a variety of hearts on this layout, including the Emerson Lane Cardstock Stickers, Journal Studio Puffy Stickers (both from the Scrapbook Kit) as well as the One Canoe Two: Golden Rod Chipboard Phrase Thickers (from the Embellishment Kit). While we're on the topic of the Golden Rod Thickers, how incredible is that chipboard title?!! That gold is just SO striking against the indigo paper base! LOVE!!!
Here's a closer look at my photo cluster....

 

So many lovely layers here, mostly from the Emerson Lane supplies. They coordinate beautifully with the Meadow paper, and I love the inclusion of that olive green! You'll spy that I do add some painty splatters in a similar green color (from my personal stash) to enhance these embellishments.

So cool! A boy & his puppy documented perfectly with Pleasant Valley!

My second layout for today is a softer, more feminine take on the 3-To-Inspire challenge....
"Sweet Puppy Love" 

CTK Supplies: Pleasant Valley Scrapbook Kit, Pattern Paper Play Kit, Embellishment Kit. 

Other: Black stamping ink, & watercolor paint.  

Naww! How cute is that puppy?!! No secret that I am totally smitten by him!

I have used the beautiful Heidi Swapp: Emerson Lane paper that comes in this month's Pattern Paper Play Kit as my layout base.  I've also used lots of the Journal Studio goodies that feature in the Pleasant Valley Scrapbook Kit, as well as a bit of everything from the Embellishment Kit! (There's no such thing as too many embellishments, right?) You'll notice that I do remove the paperclip backings from the Journal Studio Swan Paper Clips and use them as an epoxy sticker instead! Awesome! 

Here's a closer look at my page.....

Omgoodness! I can't handle his cuteness!!! Such a darling lil pup! 

And yes, that's me in the photo - awkward as always (I much prefer being behind the lens!) but this lil guy just has to be documented! If your familiar with my style, it's well known that I love all.the.florals!!! So naturally, I use a lot of them for my layout! 

The hearts featured are from the Golden Rod Thickers set, & on the subject of Thickers, how gorgeous is that soft, glossy pink title?!! Those alphas are from Pink Paislee's Paige Evans Whimsical collection & are from the Scrapbook Kit. SO pretty!!! 

Lots of repeat stamping from the exclusive CTK stamp from the Scrapbook Kit and watercolor paint droplets to complete this pretty page. 

And there you have it! My first two pages with the divine Pleasant Valley Kits! 

I hope I have inspired you to get creating & play along with today's 3-To-Inspire challenge! 

Be sure to share your beautiful creations in the Citrus Twist Kits Fan Page on Facebook - we love to see what you've crafted! 

Thanks so much for visiting today, 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Sunday Sketch with Anna

Hi dear CTK friends!

Anna here with you today bringing you this week's Sunday sketch. Well let's have a look at our super inspiring sketch.

I love this week's sketch a lot! And I can not lie, lol! Who doesn't love a grid design? Anyway I do so I grabbed my  December Pleasant Valley kits and this is what I came up with. A pretty clean design and very true to the sketch. I opted for the Scrapbook kit mostly, except from the background paper which comes from the Pattern Paper Play kit.

Some stitches of course! Can't scrap without my sewing maschine you know.

There's also some light mixed media here to spy. I've used a pair of  pink color mist's using a plastic bag and the smooshing/kissing technique.

And there you have it! Be sure to grab your scrappy things and join in with us with this happy challenge. Just share your layout on the CTK Fan Page at Facebook so we can see your gorgeousness and leave you some love.

Until next time! Hugs Anna xo

Mixed Media with Adele

Hey all!

Today I am playing with some mixed media and the gorgeous December Main Scrapbooking Kit. I decided to crack open my junk journal and do some "scrap-journaling" using a photo along with some paint and a stencil.

I used some of the gorgeous Crate Paper goodies included in the December kit today. I also created a process video at the end of this post, showing more details about each step I took using the mixed media.

I added paint and stenciling to the right hand side of my spread and overlapped the spine to create a more seamless look across the two pages.

Do you enjoy art journaling? I love including photos in my junk journal in a fun creative (and painty!) way. Have an awesome weekend scrappy peeps!

Pleasant Valley Pocket Page with Andrea

Hello sweet friends! Raise your hand if you are flying through your Pleasant Valley kit! It's so darn easy to use and the COLORS! Can we talk about the colors for a second? The pinks and blues in this kit are perfect for Fall days, Summer documenting, or even Winter pages. Today I'm sharing how I used them for a fun trip to our favorite orchard!

The day was warm and sunny so I wanted to bring out that vibe with the colors. I followed my typical pocket page formula of alternating photos and cards and sneaking in some smaller photos on the cards that have lots of room!

The colored puffy stickers make this title card POP! Since I had so many colors to choose from, I decided to do a rainbow effect with the colors that would contrast with the pink paper. Adding the floral sticker to the top and the word strip to the bottom finished it off!

The simple little yellow strip over the blue striped heart was the perfect place to stamp a little sentiment! Also, layering labels and stamps and photos and hearts is such an easy way to add color and story!

I spiced up this cute pink pocket card with a yellow puffy heart, a stamped statement, and some journaling.

Thanks so much for being here today and checking out how I am using the Pleasant Valley kits! Have a super crafty week!