Instax Pocket Pages with Shannon

 

Hey there, fellow scrappers! Shannon here with an exciting new product coming to the Citrus Twist shop soon - Instax pocket pages for Life Crafted albums. The variety of page protector configurations is one of my favorite things about Life Crafted albums and I'm so excited to have another one to add to the mix. Let's get the nitty gritty out of the way - the smaller pockets hold inserts that are 2.15" x 3.35" and the larger pocket holds inserts that are 4.25" x 3.30". Are you ready to see how they look?

They're great, right? Don't worry if you don't have an Instax. We have a free Photoshop template so you can print your own faux Instax photos on a 4x6 photo print. Check out the Citrus Twist Fan Page on Facebook to snag those. I decided to turn some of my pool photos from this summer into Instax prints for my family Life Crafted album. And, of course, I had to add all the color using the August True Stories Life Crafted Kit.

On the top right, I cut down a journaling card from the August True Stories Life Crafted Kit. This card worked well because there was plenty of white space on either side so I didn't really lose anything from the card. I used some foam alphas to add a sentiment. The card on the bottom left was the tall 3x8 "bookmark" card that came with the Life Crafted kit. The sea theme was perfect for this page so I just cut it down to fit the pocket. I made a small cluster on it using a label, a puffy sticker, and a stamped sentiment using the True Stories Kit Stamp. 

On the right side of the spread, I kept up my theme of adding one embellishment to each photo. I did this to keep color running throughout the whole spread and because, well, I love embellishments and adding sentiments to photos! I tried to stick to neutral colors for the embellishments used on these two photos because I have so much color in the card below them.

I made the bottom card by cutting down a piece of the patterned paper from the August True Stories Life Crafted Kit. I'd been wanting to use the "oh, hey!" embellishment since the kit arrived at my door so I built the card around that. After sticking it in the corner, I balanced it out by using foam alphas in the bottom right corner. Then I added a stamp from the Stories Stamp Set to surround the alphas. That still didn't feel balanced so I added two hearts to the card. It still needed more so I popped on two labels and a bit of journaling. Then it clicked! Sometimes you just have to keep going until it feels done.

I hope you enjoyed this peek at these fun new pocket page protectors coming to the shop soon! Don't forget to stop by the Citrus Twist Fan Page on Facebook to grab your Instax Photoshop template. I can't wait to see what fun things you do with these page protectors!

Life Crafted with Nathalie

 

Hi there!

Nathalie with you today to bring you a bit of inspiration to kick off the weekend!   I am sure many of you are still waiting for your physical True Stories kit to arrive.  The Pandemia has created a large delay when it comes to shipping goodies around the world.  Well, how about using this month's Digital Files to get your stories documented!  Let me show you ...

Today, i want to show you how digital files can transform plain vellum into a beautiful transluscent layer for your layouts!

For the one side of the page, i used one of this month's Basic Documenter TN page. I simply printed it, added the funny picture of the before and after and a few stickers.  I printed my journal on vellum so that i can tie the two sides of the pages together.

The beauty of working with vellum is that it serves as a beautiful divider for your album, which lets you tell  totally unrelated stories in one spread.   This time, i used one of the PL Digital journal cards, and enlarged it to fit my page, and printed it making sure to leave about a half an inch on the right edge so i can folded and attached it to the page.

After stamping the title on the vellum heart ( Archival Ink), once again, i used one of the basic Digital TN papers to create my single page layout. I added my picture ( backed it with a Digital Patterned paper) then used the This is Life Stamp set to add some details.   

Here is another layout that uses mostly this month's digital files.  This time, i used vellum to create soft layers and hide my journal .

I enlarged the 4x6 PL and printed it on vellum.  I ripped the edges of the vellum a bit to add texture before attaching it to the background( TN Digital Patterned paper). I used the Digital Ephemera to create the "Choose Happy" embellishments from vellum.  I combined both Bailey stamp sets to create the title.

To hide my journal lines, i used one of the Digital PL cards as the base, then added one of the Digital ephemera pieces on top and printed them together on vellum making sure to leave about half inch at the top to create the flap.

I added my lines of journal to one of the PL cards and just folded the vellum piece to create the flap that conceals it.

I love how this turned out, and how easy they came together using a few of this month's Digital files and vellum..   Hopefully, the kits arrive at your doorstep soon, but while you wait, stop by the Digital CTK shop to check the new matching files!

XO

Sunday Sketch with Nathalie

 

Hi there!

Nathalie with you today to share this week's Sunday sketch challenge.   Sketches are one of the best and easiest ways to create any project, as it provides a blueprint for page, the rest is up to you.  This week's sketch is a fun one, let me show you...

Now let me show you how this inspired my layout using the August Add on kit:

I was drawn to the paper layers in the sketch, and decided to use them in a similar manner in my design with a few additions...

I combined papers from the Add on kit and the jean texture paper from the Life Crafted kit to create the layers behind the pictures.   I decided to switch the large picture to two smaller ones.   Having the three photos help tell the story.  In order to highlight the lone photo, i chose to back it with the same papers, but added the photo corners ( available in the CTK shop).   

The original sketch has a few strips of paper weaved through the paper layers. I decided to use fussy cut florals ( Fresh Bouquet collection - included in the add-on kit) and layer them as indicated by the paper strips.

One of  the biggest changes is that i replaced the large horizontal and bottom vertical paper strips with mixed media.  I used an old Heidi Swapp stencil and Vicki Boutin Art crayon and stencil brush to create the impression on the white cardstock.   I made sure that the impression stretched beyond the paper layers, just like the paper strips it is replacing. This gave me a place for my title - you can find those fun foam stickers in the CTK shop-.

As for embellishing, i pretty much followed sketch to add my embellishments through the page, and even added a few stamped sentiments ( True Stories Stamp set) around the page.

To balance the page, and also to follow the sketch, i used left over pieces from the papers and a few small embellishments -add on kit and CTK shop- to create a small cluster at the bottom of the page.  My handwritten journal and a few drops of diluted art crayon complete the page.

This page came together easily just by following the sketch.   The small changes, just make it more my style!  Remember to check all the kits, stamps and add ons on the CTK shop.  If you create a project using this sketch, please share it with us.  we love to see what you create with our sketches and products.

XO!

Pocket Page Challenge with Shannon

Hey there, scrappy friends! Shannon here with a fun pocket page to share. Pocket pages are kind of my jam and I love finding new ways to make my pages a little different. One of my favorite ways to make my page unique is to make my own journaling/accent card. I did that on this page by cutting down a piece of 6x8 patterned paper and layering tons of embellishments from the August 2020 True Stories Life Crafted kit. I started with the "be groovy or leave" word art and then built behind it. I loved the sort of whimsical look of the seaweed/coral so I used all of the pieces from the pack. It added tons of color and visual interest to the page and the word art on top grounds it all. Since the bottom right corner is pretty busy, I added a chipboard banner piece for balance in the top left corner. This is a great way to get some of the incredible ephemera on your page and create a custom journaling card!

You'll notice that the photos in the middle of my page are black & white. This page is packed with so much color that when I added these two photos in color it wasn't pleasing to the eye. Thankfully, the photos look great in black and white! The other photos have colors that match the colors on the page so they blended well. Although I try to keep most of my photos in color, turning them black and white is a great way to prevent colors from clashing with the product you're using. By putting the photo of my daughter doing a handstand on a journaling card, I was able to bring coordinating colors into that photo using embellishments from the True Stories Kit and the digital cutaparts.

I couldn't resist making a small cluster in the bottom corner of this pool photo. I used a label, the True Stories kit stamp, and a puffy sticker to add a pop of bright color. I'm a big fan of adding labels with a stamped sentiment to my photos as a finishing touch. This one just happens to describe my daughters and their friend perfectly!

I used the subscriber bonus journaling card to make notes about each of my photos and add a title. I love using cards with defined spots like this so I can add clear notes about each photo. I used the foam alphas from the True Stories Kit to add a title to my journaling card and to my series of photos. Alphas are a great way to add a word or phrase with some big impact.

This page is full of lots of bright colors but by making sure I have plenty of white space and coordinating colors in my photos it's not overwhelming. Using lots of color like this used to scare me because I wasn't confident in pulling it all together. Using the tips that I shared will help your pages be both colorful and cohesive. I can't wait to see what you create!