June Life Crafted Memory Planning

Hello sweet crafty friends! Veronica here to share a spring memory planning spread. In these uncertain and trying times it sure is hard to plan anything. I've used my planner as a memory planner instead. I use photos and words to document our everyday. I've been memory planning all year and I love that I have all these memories jotted down in one place. I created this week's spread with the Life Crafted June kit and let me tell you...this kit's colors were perfect for this week. The yellows and blues....be still my heart.

Here is a look at the left side:

I added some stitching to some of the printable tags that come with the kit. I also used up some of that bright yellow pattern paper. I stamped the phrases and icon using black ink:

I love that the kit comes with a set of labels because I love using labels. I stitched some more to give this side of the spread some more dimension and then I added a chipboard heart. We have finally been given the okay to gather with 10 or less and we immediately had a pool day/BBQ with cousins. 

 This other side of my planner had so many pictures that I decided to create a fold out. I used 3x2.5" photos of my mama's garden. I then glued them to some of that gorgeous yellow pattern paper again so that it would all tie together. 

Here is the fold out in action:

The fold out was a long 9x2.5 strip of paper. I folded the paper at 3" and then glued my photos on to the back side and added a label and paper tag on one side:

I also added some other photos from the week on this side. A Sunday drive, and my love for snow cones and pineapple matcha drinks from Starbucks. 

Hope you all enjoyed my fun memory planner spread. Now to catch up on the next couple of weeks. 

Open Post

Wow!  It's hard to believe that it's January already.  I was trying to clear out my mind and get ready for the new year, and the new date stamp was the perfect fit for my introspective morning! Nothing is better than starting your morning with some coffee and some pretty paper!

I started with the stamp and made my date, then I used the numbers to create a list.  Because I was using lined paper, I put the stamps (with no ink) in the spots I wanted them (double spaced) and then I picked them all up at once with a stamping block.  You could do this with a stamping platform as well if you wanted to.

Once I had my list, I couldn't leave it without adding some of the great die cuts from the add on and the Life Crafted kit.  The fabric tags from the Life Crafted kit are probably my favourite thing right now, they are such great colors and I love the texture they add to a layout.  On this one, I sewed two of them together to start the embellishment cluster on the left.

Thanks for joining me today, I wish you all a good new year, and I hope that you will find this kit and stamp set as inspiring as I have!

Planning With the Pocket Life Kit

Hey, there!  I am so excited to share with you how I used the November Pocket Life kit.  I loved the papers, cards and embellishments and I knew that I wanted to use as much of the kit as I could!  So, I decided to use the elements for regular planning!

I absolutely loved the patterned papers and I had to punch them and add them to my layout that I also decorated with photos.  This way, I could do my daily planning with my lists and activities but add a few photos for fun and inspiration!

I love using the papers for layering! It's so perfect for being inspired even with the average activities of a week.

The stamping is always a highlight for me in any project and this was no exception.  The Thankful stamp set is so cute - and it's perfect so many things and I loved using it to add an activity directly to the page.

Do you love adding embellishments and pretty pieces into your daily planning?  Are you always looking for new ways to make your plans shine?  The Pocket Life Kit might be exactly what you need to add a little creativity into your days!

Tuesday Tutorial With Jennie

Hello!  I am excited to share with you today a few steps to using the October [or any!] Citrus Twist Little Things Pocket Life kit in your planners!  I've used the papers, die cuts and stamps in my Happy Planner® and I'm excited to show you show you how I use them functionally and decoratively!

For reference, this is a BIG Happy Planner® which is letter size.  Meaning, the sheets are the same size as a regular piece of paper.  This is the planner that I use as a memory planner.  I put in our regular activities, plus photos, journaling and embellishments.  My most favorite embellishments to add are stamping and die cuts, with punched patterned paper rounding out the top.

One way I like to add stamping is by adding stamping on a piece of cardstock [you could as easily use a piece of patterned paper].  This does two things.  One, it helps you in case you make a mistake or get a little messy. Two, you can add a little bit of variety or visual interest to your page.  I used the Griffin Alpha Stamp to stamp the time of the activity.  I love how not only it looks, but how cost effective this is, as well!

Now, on this side you can see I did a couple of other stamping spots.  One, I simply stamped the time directly to the page.  I am a huge fan of the simplicity.  It's uncomplicated and straight to the point.  I also stamped directly on top of a die cut.  I love this!  It combines function and decoration!

But, stamping is not the only thing I love.  I also love die cuts on my pages, as you can see from the photos I've already shared.

I want to say that this cluster is my favorite, but I'm not sure I can choose!  However, what I can say is that I love that woodgrain frame included in the Little Things Pocket Life Kit.  It IS my favorite. [And I love the woodgrain combined with the black and white patterned paper!] By using several pieces from the package of die cuts, along with a punched piece of the patterned paper included with the kit - I've added an area on my planner pages to rest and look at the details.  I don't add a lot of other embellishing, other than these clusters, if you'll notice. I like to focus on the photos and activities and add decorative spots.

This is a similar idea to the cluster I shared above.  However, due to space AND wanting to have one primary cluster [the first I showed], this one is a bit smaller.  However, I've still included 3 items that have coordinating colors so they are all tied together.

Unrelated, I felt like I hit the jackpot when I saw the words SLOW DOWN included in the package - because these photos of my son on his seventeenth birthday needed these words to accompany them. A little more involvement here, a few more working pieces, but still has the same weight as the other clusters. I don't want any of them to feel like they are vastly different, as they are all the same importance.  But having them slightly varied makes them more interesting, so I enjoy that not one of them looks like the same - even though they coordinate.

Are you stamping or using die cuts in your planners?  Have you tried the die cuts that come in the Pocket Life kits?  Make sure to share with Citrus Twist on Facebook or tag them on Instagram so we can see how!

Memory Planning!

Hello there!  I'm so excited to share with you how I use my Happy Planner to scrapbook - or something I [and the planner community] call memory planning. I love using my Citrus Twist kits and stamps for this project - there are so many supplies that are perfect for this!

I couldn't even begin to share with you my favorite part here.  I would start to say that it was the blue alphabet stickers but then change my mind to the July This is the Life stamp set.  Yes, that might be my favorite part! It's just so perfect as a way to document the activities and appointments we had this week!

I'm just smitten with the layered patterned papers.  They really look good together [contrasting pattern & colors] and fill up what would be an empty space without them!

There's that stamp again! Isn't it so cute and perfect for an activity?  I know that this one will get used a lot, especially with the Skyland Pocket Life kit stamp.  The arrow is perfect inside that box!  And, I love how the arrow symbolizes movement - which is obviously what's going on!

Now, let's see the same kit on another layout!

As you can see, I have added not only photos, but journaling, embellishments AND our daily plans.  

I feel like looking at this you can see how well the Skyland Pocket Life kit goes with my photos and the stories. [I mean, a cactus to use during a week in Arizona!?  Yes, please!]

As you can see, stamping plays a big part in the layout, as do repeating stickers. I can see myself using that arrow sticker for months to come in my planner -- it's such a great way to notate events!  It stands out and really works alone or in a series of plans!  Don't be afraid to use a stamp [or sticker] in your planner that might have been designed for something else!  They can work great in your planner!  [See?  Not only the arrow sticker but the puffy heart stickers!  Those are great for the bullet points, too!]

On this side there is a little less functionality but here's where we get to shine!  Thursday I had some free space, so I added a punched portion of patterned paper.  It's PERFECT in this space!  Even better when layering a portion of a pocket life card that I trimmed down.  [I didn't need the whole card but I really did love this phrase so cutting it made sense!]

Isn't it gorgeous?  And it matches the patterned paper perfectly!

Now in this weekly layout I added stamping and stickers -- but I also added a variety of sizes and shapes in terms of photos.  I love to change the orientation -- it really changes up the look of the page.  But, changing the size can really work out depending on how much you have to document.  Not much going on?  Add larger photos!  Have too much going on?  Smaller photos will work great!

How I print my photos: I use an app on my iPhone X called PicFrame.  I use either the 2:3 or 3:2 ratio, depending on the orientation of my photos.  Most often I use the 4 equal size photos, but every now and again will change it up depending on the needs of my page.  After I have saved the collage to my phone, I will then print using my Canon Selphy printer.  However, you could just as easily upload to your favorite photo printer!

Have you tried using your Citrus Twist kits in your planner?  Make sure you share those images with us on Facebook - we'd love to see how you're using them!

In My Studio with Andrea! Yay!

Hello! It's Andrea here and today I want to share with you my creative space! Well...one of them. I have a few places I like to create...in the living room is one, hanging out with my hubby, on the couch with my scrap stuff spread on the coffee table. And I also have a designated “scrapbook/craft room”. However, because of my CRPS condition, I was finding it increasingly hard to get over to my craft room or the living room to create so I asked my husband last year if we could set up our bedroom so that I could scrap and craft and plan, etc in bed! I am now a huge fan of this idea and I have been encouraging other people who suffer with different disabilities or health conditions or illnesses to scrap in bed also! It has been such a gift to set up my bedroom to make it easier and more comfortable for me to create. I love it!

My husband built me a special desk that I can slide, kind of like a really long tray, over the side of the bed and just sit in bed and work on my projects! It is my “bed desk” and it is so awesome! My husband, Ryan, is an amazing carpenter so the desk is perfectly designed to fit my needs! When I'm not using it, it has a spot in the bedroom where it just sits nicely, below some wall decor pieces that I made (like the little house shelf and the 3 hearts)!

I also asked Ryan if he could make some sort of storage for me to go in the bedroom and so he built a special shelving unit that I designed, which perfectly fits all my mini albums and displays them. It also has cubbies to hold my 12x12 plastic containers which I use to keep different collections and my Citrus Twist kits. And at the bottom, I designed a cute little cabinet section that holds other product and tools and my larger albums and layouts.

I also have a really cute vintage desk in my bedroom. It is up against the window and we painted it pink and it is just my favorite! I love the sweet little vintage pink chair that sits in front of it too. They are not the same pink and I love that! I think they just compliment each other and the rest of the room. I love that when I need to sew, I can just pull the chair out and sit at that desk which holds my sewing machine and do some fun stitching on my layouts and tags and things.

My mom bought me a We R Memory Keepers wall storage piece that holds my paints and glitters and punches and things. The outside is useful too because it has white boards and chalk boards that I can write on and put notes to myself.

I have these cool smaller storage pieces and containers that I have collected over the years to go in my bedroom scrap space. I have newer things from Crate Paper, like the muffin tin that is perfect for holding embellishments like the exclusive cut-apart pieces from the Citrus Twist kits and other ephemera. It is so easy to pull from when I am working on a project and I can see everything easily. 

I also have some neat vintage containers like the aqua depression glass dish with the lid that I like to keep paperclips and things in. I have some wooden boxes and divided storage pieces that my hubby made for me which I love so much! The big pink one that sits on my mobile “bed desk” is so great because I can fit everything for one project in it – the 12x12 papers, the chipboard stickers, the alpha thickers, the ephemera and other embellishments, and I love the drawer at the bottom too because I can put my pictures in there. And for my markers and pens and scissors, I use a simple mason jar.

Here, you can see me working at my “bed desk”(yes, in bed!), using the amazing March “Oliver” kit to do some planner decorating! You can even see the sheets in some of the photos. I hope that this all gives you an idea of how and where I create and that maybe I have inspired you to scrap in your bed too! Wherever you decide to create though, have fun and happy National Craft Month!!!

xoxoxoxo – Andrea (i.e. Fairytale Scrapbook)