Add-on kit inspiration with Nathalie

Hi there,
Nathalie with you today in time to share some inspiration using the April 2020 Scrapbooking Add-on kit.   I love the colors and designs of the kit just perfect for the changing season, and all the daily stories i so much cherish.   Let me show you what i have created:

My kids are growing so fast, and i am slowly seeing how they are changing into adults, so i chose a more mature palette of colors to document a recent picture of my daughter.

Since the colors in the picture are very neutral, i chose to bring the yellow plaid paper strip as the anchor piece for this page,  Then cut a few more strips of paper from the  add on kit, and layered them together.

Before gluing the paper layers to the page, i used my typewriter to add my lines of journal at the bottom left of the page.   Once the papers were in place, i pulled the Spencer Alpha stamp set (outline) and stamped the title using light gray ink, then hand stitched around the stamped images, even overlapping the paper layers.

I added a simple layer of ripped vellum between the picture and the paper layers, then added just a few embellishments around.  You can find the Magical Forest Sticker sheet and Pink Paislee's 5th & Monaco sticker sheet in the shop.

To finish the page, i added a bit more of stitching to the top of the picture and then added more stickers and stamped sentiments - Traveler's Notebook stamp set-  around the layers of the page.  A few drops of copper ink complete the page.

I hope this inspires you to check the new April Scrapbooking add-on kit to your box.  Remember you can check most of  the materials used in this page  in the CTK shop.  I cannot wait to see what you create with the kits!

Stay safe friends!

Product Highlight - THIS IS LIFE: GOOD VIBES Digital Stamp

Hi there!

Nathalie with you today with a few projects created with the new POSSIBILITIES Life Crafted kit.  I love this month's kit, but every month one of the first products i reach for are the Digital files.  So, today i want to share with you a few layouts created using my hybrid approach:

The new This is Life "Good Vibes" Digital Stamp set ( just like its physical format) is filled with possibilities that can help you create one of a kind projects in  a short amount of time.

I started with this layout all about our youngest Goddaughter's 1st birthday.   I love seeing all the yellow on the pictures i received throughout the day, so  i chose three of them that tell the story of the day and printed them in a photo strip design.

I chose a large title so it balances the photo strip.  This was  easily created by using Photoshop to print two of the sunburst designs on white cardstock. I made sure to leave a space between them so i can add my title. Once i printed the design, i used a paper piercing tool to create a holes at the ends of each of the lines and used yellow embroidery thread to stitch over the design.

I then used the Spencer Solid 6x8 stamp set to add the word one in between the stitched lines.  Then used  purple ink to stamp the "Awesome" word image and the butterfly outline from the This is Life Stamp set on white cardstock and fussy cut it.  I just glued these on the page to complete the title work.

On the other side of the layout, i used the Digital TN Papers to create the base for the page and then added my picture.   Once again, i used the This is Life "Good Vibes" stamp set to create the butterfly images and small circle sunburst that embellish the pictures.

For my next page, i once again reached for the This  Is Life: Good Vibes Digital Stamp set and used Photoshop to create the large butterfly images and stars you see on the page.  I size them so that they create the illusion of movement and dimension on the page.

To bring color to the page, i diluted  ink to resemble watercolor and added a splatter of it on each butterfly followed by smaller splatters around it. Since i used very little water, the paper did not warp, and the ink from the printer did not run either.

To finish this page, I chose to type my journal and added one of the large foam words as the title for the layout.   I then enlarged the picture of my other Goddaughter and their new pet to fit the page and added pieces from the cut apart elements page ( free for subscribers) and more stamped images to complete the page.

I hope you stop by the Citrus Twist Kits Digital shop to check all the new digital files especially the new This is Life:  Good Vibes Digital Stamp set.   Having the option of creating your background and printing them at home surely stretch your kits and create one of a kind pages!

Cannot wait to see how you use this ideas  on your pages.

XO

Sunday Sketch with Nathalie

Hello everyone!
Nathalie here with the last sketch on June... Tomorrow a new kit will be revealed (and it is a beauty!), but before we get new goodies, let me show you how i made the most of my kits using this week's sketch as inspiration.  Here is this week's sketch:

It is a rather fun sketch, as soon as i saw it all i could think of was a grid  of some sort.   First i decided to use the sketch with the left over pieces from my Around Here  Life Crafted Kit in my Life Crafted album:

For this layout, i decided to divide the sketch in  half and follow it as close as i could.  Since the pictures are in color, i decided to chose rather neutral papers for the layers behind them.

The secret to balance the sketch was to keep everything at the same level/border.  So, once i had the limits marked, i used the typewriter to add my lines of journal, and then glued the layers in place.   I added the extra tag above the small strip of paper at the bottom of the picture to help balance the page.

I followed the sketch for the other side of the layout, but added a few things just so that it helped me tell the story of the pictures.   All the gorgeous ephemera pieces about "creatives" was perfect for this side, so i just added them to the clusters and then stamped some sentiments from some of this month's Stamp sets.   Love how easy it came together, but i tried the same sketch with the add-on kit for a 12x12 layout.

I wanted all those pastel colors in the Add on kit to create this page about my daughter's first horse-riding adventure. 

I started with creating the layers behind the picture using all the papers from the add on kit.  However the bottom layer of the pictures is one of the large Alpha pieces (Maggie Holmes Sunny Days collection) as they had a vibrant and solid look to them.

To bring the grid look of the sketch to the page, i decided to mount my layers on a piece of vellum.  This helped with limiting the space for the layout, and made layering the papers much easier (a little chipboard and foam adhesive help to create the soft shadow behind the layers).

I wanted to keep the soft look of the page, so instead of adding those paper strips to the corners of the page, my  choice was to create a small shaker pocket.  For this, i simply used a ruler and penciled the rectangles, then hand stitched the rectangles and fill them with sequins.

To finish the page, I used one of the ephemera pieces from the Around Here kit in combination with the stickers from the add on kit, added a few gold ink splatters, and then added my lines of journal with gold ink (and smudge a bit of it with my hand, too).

Just love how these turned out using the sketch as the starting point for the layouts.  Now it is your turn to get inspired by the sketch and create a project of your own.  Remember to share your projects with us over social media (use #citrustwistkits or @citrustwistkits), we love to be inspired by your work.   If you have questions on how these came together, please do not hesitate to contact me!

XO

Traveler's Notebook Challenge with Marsha

Hey friends!  Marsha here today, and I'm excited to share a TN challenge with you.  For my layout, I used the May Life Crafted "Excursions" Kit, the This is Life "Free Spirit" Stamps, and the digital Free Spirit stamps.

Here's a look at my TN layout:

My challenge for you is to use the digital stamps and hand stitching in your traveler's notebook.  I used the colorful leaf patterned paper as inspiration for this page.  To begin the layout, I used Photoshop to enlarge and recolor the leaf stamp from the digital Free Spirit stamps.  I printed it on vellum at about 3 inches wide.  Using a piercing tool, I followed the edges of the image and did a simple back stitch using white embroidery floss.  This took extra time, but I love how it turned out!  I adhered it to the page using liquid glue, being careful to only add the glue to the stitching so it would not show through the vellum.

For the other side of the page, I adhered my photo to a tag from the ephemera pack.  I used some other die cuts from the pack to embellish the page, adding staples and twine for interest and texture.

Using the Free Spirit stamp set, I stamped some leaves using two different colors of ink to match the layout.  I fussy cut them and tucked them under the edge of the photo.  It's always fun to add stamped embellishments to a project.

For the title, I trimmed one of the die cuts and used the aqua mint puffy alpha stickers to finish it off.  I added a few more stamps from the stamp set and stamped the date at the bottom of the spread.

Here's a final look at the completed project:

Thank you for joining me today!  I hope you will try adding a digital stamp and hand stitching to your next TN spread.  Be sure to share your project using this challenge on the Citrus Twist Kits Fan Page on Facebook or using #citrustwistkits on Instagram.

DIY Embroidered Banner Embellishment with Kira

Hey friends!  It's Kira and I am back with what might be my favorite layout of all time.  And it's all thanks to this cute little banner!

I started by using one of the exclusive cut files this month, and used the draw feature to trace it on some fabric.  Then I used a simple backstitch to stitch around the word "gather" in blue.  Once I stitched the word, I cut the fabric out in the banner shape I liked.  I used a skewer stick for the dowel and machine stitched to attach it.  I tied on some embroidery floss on each end of the dowel to "hang" the banner.

I used an enamel dot (and a tiny bit of hot glue) to attach the banner to the page.  I grabbed the Whimsical thickers included in this month's embellishment kit to create a flower cluster at the top of my banner.

The background paper is Paper 16, which has this gorgeous ombre rainbow heart pattern on it.  I decided to play with color blocking to decide on the placement of my photo since my boys are wearing blue and green shirts.  And it worked out nicely since I had stitched my banner in blue as well.

I fussy cut another large floral piece from Paper 3 and placed it under my photo and under the banner.  I grabbed more elements from the die cut pack, puffy stickers  and rub on sheet to color block around my page.

I love how this page turned out and you'll definitely be seeing more of these embroidered banners from me in the future!  Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Kira

3-To-Inspire with Kelly

Hello friends! Today I am back with our first 3-To-Inspire challenge for the month of May. I have loved playing with this kit and hope that you will play along for a chance to win a prize!

My prompts are as follows:
1. Use tulle
2. Stitch (machine, hand, or both)
3. Use at least 3 patterned papers

Here is the page that I created using one of the cut files available as a NSD freebie in the shop.

For this layout I used the Malibu Main kit, Malibu Pocket Life kit, and the Paradise Add-on kit. I started creating the page by backing the heart cut file with papers that contained pink, coral, or aqua. Adding in the black and white polka dot brings a bit of contrast to the page.

I'm a sucker for birds and knew that this sweet bird would make the perfect accent on top of the photo.

The doily and twine are from my stash. I stitched through the title to add a bit more detail to the page.

 My mom has dementia, and we have had to make some serious life changes for her. It's been hard, and when I saw these stickers from Pinkfresh Studio, I could not believe how well that they told the story of my layout. Sometimes journaling is not even needed when your products say everything that you need to say.

I chose to layer the tulle behind the heart. I cut several squares so that the color would be a bit brighter, and adhered it to the back of the cut file with hot glue. I wanted to make sure that it would stay in place, and knew that hot glue would do the trick.

I have included a link to my process video if you would like to see how this layout came together. Now, it is your turn to use these prompts and post your projects on  our CTK Facebook Fan Page. Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a great day!

xoxo, Kelly