Tuesday Tutorial with Neftali

Happy Tuesday crafty friends and welcome to another Tuesday Tutorial! It is Neftali here today to share with you a fun tutorial to create a “simple and minimal layout.” Let’s get started!

Here is the layout I created for this tutorial, which took me no more than 30 minutes to make:

I don’t know about you, but I am sometimes a huge fan of those soft and airy layouts that give you a feeling of “freshness” and “simplicity”. Well, that is what I tried to portray with this particular layout, and I think I achieved it pretty well.

Here is how you can take your supplies to create something simple yet evocative:

First, choose soft colors and simple patterns that contrast, but work well together. 

For that I decided to use the papers in the November “Pleasant Valley” Pocket Life Kit because there were soft colors but still fun bold patterns like the black crosses.

Second, choose a minimal amount of supplies that you think you might use. 

I decided to go with the patterned papers, my circle punch, my sewing machine, and a few of the exclusive ephemera pieces from the PL Kit. I also picked out a few other pieces that I didn’t end up using like the exclusive wood veneer word phrase pieces. I ended up switching that idea out for stamping, instead.

Go with whatever fancies you at the moment but remember to keep just a handful of pieces out on your desk so you don’t dig for anything else. We’re keeping it simple, remember!

Third and final tip, which I used specifically on this layout, was to go for a small black and white photograph. 

I feel like the small photo size helped keep my layout super minimal. But so did the black and white because there are no clashing colors with the other supplies/colors I am using.

The photo in this layout is sized 2x3 (tiny, I know) and I normally print these sizes by using an app where I can fit 4 - 2x3 photos in a 4x6 photo sheet. Easy peasy!

So, those are my 3 quick tips to create a simple, airy, minimal layout. 

I chose to punch a few circles to create 3 totally random clusters across my page. To each cluster I added a (not so perfect) machine stitched circle. To me, white stitching = simple!!

I added my photo on top of a tag and attached that in between the clusters. Then, I used only 5 pieces of what I had picked out from the exclusive die cuts.

Finally, I added a few stamps and my title next to my photo. That’s it! 

Super duper simple and you still have that awesome feeling of having had a moment to craft, especially when you’re busy but just have an itch to make something quick. I really hope you guys give this a try. If you do create something beautiful, come share it with us at The Citrus Twist Facebook Fan group! Thanks for stopping by today, xo.

Tuesday Tutorial with Neftali

Happy Tuesday everyone and welcome back to another Tuesday Tutorial! It’s Neftali here today to share with you a sweet pregnancy book I have created using the Mini TN covers from the shop and the October Little Things TN exclusive papers. As we all know, the exclusives are always so exciting to find every month as they are so bright and beautiful. It’s a given!

But this month I found them to be especially perfect to add to a baby book since they were all light pastel colors and very neutral soft prints.

Let’s get ready, and grab your mom fuel, and let’s make a baby book!

As a side note, you can make any type of book using the items I’m using today. This can be a general guide for prepping your Mini TN’s for any theme or season.

I began by cutting each one of the papers to size so that they would fit nicely inside the wooden covers. Approximately, 3 1/2 by 8 inches. After that I placed them back to back so that they would have a pattern on each side and sewed them together.

I love the look they have when stitched all around! Such a unique and finished look.

Once I finished stitching the pages together, I ended up with 4 base pages for the mini. I simply hole punched them and they were ready to be placed together with ring binders.

My book is now ready to be filled with memories and milestones from this pregnancy.

I decided to create a cover page as the first look when you open the book. I used some really pretty details to keep with the soft pastel colors of the book.

I plan to keep adding more pages as I go and different elements like pocket pages and even smaller interactive elements like glassine bags.

So friends, the October Little Things PL Kit is pretty much perfect for a baby book. But these super easy and basic steps can help you create a base for any Mini TN book! Please feel free to share any of your creations in our CTK Facebook group.

Thanks for stopping by today scrappy friends! I hope you are all feeling inspired to play with your October kits and create something beautiful. Have a wonderful week! Xo

Sunday Sketch with Melanie

Hello crafty friends, Melanie here today bringing you this week's Sunday Sketch. It's a fun one and I have a layout and a TN Spread for you today. But first let's have a look at the sketch.

For the layout I mainly used the Skyland Pocket Life Kit but also papers from the Skyland Scrapbook and the Pattern Paper Play Kit.

Instead of two landscape photos I used one vertical picture of myself 'hubby' took during our latest getaway while I was setting up the camera to take a picture of the two of us. Other than that I pretty much stuck to the sketch.

I used a stencil to add some splatters on the bottom of my layout and then started by matting my photo on coordinating papers. After that I added the base layers with patterned papers and put my photo on top by using some craft foam to add more dimension. The red exclusive paper of the Kit is so pretty and I also used some blue tones. For more layering I tucked some of the embellishments beneath my photo and made some tags of patterned paper. The cork circles give a nice texture on the layout, I always love using them.

For more texture I ruffled up the edges of the papers.

After that I worked on my embellishment cluster on the bottom right and added my title by placing the 'Oh yeah !' above my embellishment cluster and nestling in the 'SO ME' by using the gorgeous puffy stickers, they are my favorite alphas!

I placed the journaling above of my photo and to add more contrast I stamped the cute camera from the Daily Routine Stamp directly on my page with black ink. 

For the TN spread I rotated the sketch and used two small landscape photos we took on a recent bike trip.

I used the Skyland Pocket Life Kit and  layered some of the papers on both sides of the TN spread, placed my photos on the right hand side and a journaling card on the left. My title went on the very  top of the right page. I finished off by adding some of the lovely epoxy stickers and a little bit of stamping.

Now it's your turn!  I can't wait to see what you're all making, be sure to share your projects on Instagram and our Facebook Group and tag us so we can see your work.

Happy crafting, Melanie

Tuesday Tutorial with Kelly

Hello friends! Today I am going to be sharing with you how I determine which papers to use when I back my silhouette cut files. For this layout I used the gorgeous  November "Stories" kit. The cut file that I used is from the Silhouette store and was designed by Paige Evans.

Stitching has always been something that I have loved to add to my pages, whether it be by hand or machine. It really helps to make the cut file the stand out and adds a bit of whimsy. Fussy cutting the scalloped blue paper by Maggie Holmes further adds to the whimsy of the page by repeating elements and shapes found elsewhere on the page. 

The gorgeous exclusive orange floral was my jumping off point in choosing the patterns. After choosing that paper, I then chose the aqua triangle and the yellow and white diagonal striped papers to go on either side. Both the aqua and yellow are in the floral paper, so it ties the papers together seamlessly. Finally, the pink-ish coral paper finishes off the edge of the pumpkin and gives it an overall balanced look, plus it pulls in colors found in the photo. 

One of the wonderful things about kits is that you know the colors will work well with one another. The Thicker title Smile is just gorgeous, and I love how it looks on top of my photo. The embellishments in this cluster are perfect for this photo. Anyone that has tried to get a picture of two toddlers looking at the camera at the same time recognizes the struggle...for real!

Thanks so much for joining me today. I've included a link to my process video if you'd like to take a peek at just how this layout came together. Have a wonderful day!

Pocket Life Challenge: From Scratch!

Hey Everyone! This is Jennie with today's Pocket Life Challenge! IT'S NOVEMBER! Yikes! How did that happen?! If you are planning a major catch up make sure you check out the rest of the challenges this month. They can be a great way to get inspired!

My Challenge for this month is to create a filler card from scratch! I used the 6x8 papers to create 2 of the cards. If you are a simple scrapper you can start with just cutting a 3x4 card and adding one of the bigger die cuts from the ephemera pack.

I love to use the little bits of the ephemera pack on my photos. I also make extra tiny bits using heart dies and the 6x8 paper from the kit. I love the super cute colors of this month!

The puffy alphas of the November Pocket Life Kit are so perfect. And they have numbers! Yay! I kept my title card super simple because I liked the design from the 4x6 card and I din't want to alter it too much. Next to it I have a card with a little journaling about a drawing my daughter made.

Here you can really see the two filler cards I made. On the first card, I used the black and white stripes paper. I used the 3x4 stamp set that comes in the Pocket Life Kit to stamp all over the paper. The lines made it so easy. Then I layered die cuts, puffy stickers and the cork. You don't have to add everything and the kitchen sink like I do. If you want to go super simple I recommend using the rules of threes and try to vary the size of the items. On the second card, I used a circle stitched die to add a layer to the card instead of adding the circle on top. This creates an illusion of depth. This cat die is the cutest!

The 3x4 stamp is perfect if you've been wanting to stamp on your photos. They are small and they stamp perfectly. I stamped using Brilliance White on the grass and with Back StazOn on the photos of my daughters. I also did a little ghost stamping. 

I love the ephemera die cut pack! Besides being super cute they always have labels (a must for stamping dates on a  title card) and little words which I love to put on photos.

I hope you enjoyed these pages! I like to share some of my filler and title cards on Instagram if you want to check them I'm @jenniegarcian over there. 

September Main Kit - Crazy good

Hello lovelies! Anna here to share another page made with the gorgeous September -Twin Fall- Main Kit. I decided to keep it pretty clean with just black & white and yellow and a few pops of gold.

I've made the background with one of the free CTK cut files. I just copied them a few times and made the phrase in a few different sizes. Then I just backed it with a ordinary white cardstock. I really like the white on white effect, it's eye catching without stealing the whole show.

The white leafs under the ephemeras also are a free CTK cut file.

Ohh, that golden glittery arrow Thickers is awesome. The "crazy good" text is a one of the fabulous clear stamps that comes with the Main Kit every time. A new set every time, fantastic!

Also I'm in love with those lovely labels from the Cutapart Sheet that are included every month in the Main Kit.

Those awesome butterflies are divine, they are from Pinkfresh Studio. The whole Ephemera package is amazing.

That yellow paper under my photos is one of my favorites this month, it's a CTK exclusive paper and it's fantastic. I've used it for almost every page this month, lol!

Hope you've got some inspiration now and be sure to grab one of our lovely kits in the store.

Maybe start a new subscribtion today? CTK have the best kits ever!

You can find more information and details HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time, take care! Anna xo

Happy - August Kit - Emma Wood

Hello friends!  Emma on the blog today to share a fun page I created using the stunning August Main & Embellishment kits.  I absolutely adore the CTK exclusive pattern paper included in the Main kit this month and I may also be a little addicted to the Maggie Holmes ephemera so I started this page with those things in mind and I love how it finished up!

 

I cut two strips from the paper (you know I just had to go with the pinks..) and distressed the edges for something different.  I think out of all the tools I have the distress tool would have to be the oldest and the least used, haha.  To start my page I picked a mist that matched the papers (Heidi Swapp Color shine in coral that I picked up from the CTK store a while back) and did a few splatters on each side of where I planned the paper strips to sit.  I love the vintage ribbon included in the kit so I tucked that underneath the left edge and then stitched them all in place using my sewing machine.

I messed around with all the die-cuts for ages before I settled on this one and I really only picked it because the photo's I'd printed fit on top perfectly, with just the wheel and top of the die-cut cart peeking above/below!

 
I also tucked a copule of the die-cut flowers at the top of my photo and then put the "HAPPY' die-cut ontop of it all (using some foam-dots underneath to give it a little dimension).

There isn't a whole lot of story to go with this page, so for my journaling I used a combination of the word stickers and stamps.  I think it's a fun way to add some story to your page and love doing this on my pages (obviously not suited for all pages, limited by the stickers/stamps you have on hand and how long you want your journaling to be!).

To finish off my page I used a few of the puffy heart stickers and called it done! 

I really love how it finished up.  Soft and pretty with lots of layers; my kind of page ;)

Thanks for stopping by the blog today, I hope you enjoyed reading how this one came together and I would love to see how you used the exclusive paper - remember to share on the Facebook Fanpage or in our Gallery here :) 

Until next time!  Take care, Em xo