Life Crafted with Ashley Horton

Hi friends!!  Can you believe it's August??!!  I think this has been the slowest/fastest year ever!  But, one thing I look forward to every month is receiving a new Life Crated Kit!  The August True Stories Kit is definitely a new favorite.  I love that you can use it to tell so many different stories in your scrapbooking.

The layout I'm sharing today is about a day trip to Laurel, MS, that we took in June.  We love the show Hometown that is filmed in Laurel and this was our second visit.  I wanted to document two of the photos we took in front of the wall signs that are in town.  And I knew I wanted to do something fun with one of the Life Crafted patterned papers and the embellishments that are in the August Kit.

I always cut my background papers to 5x8 to fit in my Life Crafted album.  So I cut down the teal patterned paper in the August Kit to that same size.  Then, I cut it diagonally and adhered both cut pieces to my white background paper.  I decided to machine stitch down the edge of each of the diagonal papers to add a little more interest to the design.

As I was thinking about how I wanted to set up this layout, I decided to do a mirror image type design, since I was using two photos.  I placed my first photo at the top of the page on the left-hand side and my second photo at the bottom of the page on the right-hand side.  I really liked the balance this added to my layout.

I used the fun, puffy alpha stickers to add the title right under the top photo.  I loved that they were the same color as the patterned paper from the Kit.  Once I had my photos and title in place, I was ready to embellish.  I went through the ephemera pieces, puffy stickers and chipboard stickers to find pieces that would work with my photos.  Then, I placed all of them along the diagonal edge of my patterned paper.  I like the variety and dimension that the different embellishments add to the layout.

I hope you found some inspiration today for using your August True Stories Life Crafted Kit!  Don't be afraid to mix up all of those awesome embellishments that come in each month's Kit!

Memory Planner With Alena

Hello friends!

Alena here today with my new spread in the Memory Planner format.

I got a bright  spread, because this month is an incredibly colorful Kit.

 I started by adding photos and digital PL cards to the template using Photoshop. Then they were printed out on my printer. 

For embellishment, I used Ephemera, stickers, printable cutapart elements.

Remember to share your creations with us on the Citrus Twist Kits Friends page on Facebook or by using #CTK, @Citrustwistkits on social media.

Alena

Easy Peasy with Kira

Hey there!  It's Kira and I am back with another layout in my life crafted album.  Today I am focusing exclusively on the add-on kit.  Here's a look at the layout I made:

I want to start out by saying that neither the photos nor the cut file was influenced by one another and this was totally serendipitous...don't you love when that happens?!  I started by printing my photo, which is this adorable lemonade stand photo shoot I did with my kids.  I have about a million photos but narrowed it down to one for this layout. 

Once I had my photos printed, I always like to flip through the kits to see what would work and pull out the papers and embellishments I think will work.  I was immediately drawn to the bright yellow and blues from the Pink Fresh Studio papers and as always, the grid paper from Crate paper, which I knew would make the perfect background.  There were a few pieces from all the embellishments that I knew would work as well, so I set those aside while I looked for some inspiration. 

I didn't really have a plan for how I was going to scrap this photo, and when that happens, I love to browse the cut files.  Well, it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the Easy Peasy cut file...I mean, it couldn't be more perfect right?!  I decided to separate the pieces, cut out two of the lemon bunches and cut out only the "Easy Peasy" part of the title (which I also welded together in Cricut design space so it would be easier to adhere to my page). 

I backed the lemons with the yellow paper.  And cut "Easy Peasy" out of the blue paper.  On the left page, I attached the lemons to the background paper with some foam adhesive.  Then I glued the title directly on top.  I added a few of the tiny puffy stickers for a little bit of whimsy. 

On the reverse page, I adhered the lemons directly to the background paper (not foam adhesive).  Then I layered, behind my photo, the white doily and blue paper.  I adhered my photo to the paper with foam adhesive.  I added a foam thicker flower to the corner of the photo and finished off the embellishment cluster with a "celebrate" die cut and some more puffy stickers. 

And that's it!  Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!  I'll see you soon!

xo, Kira

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!

Kit Love with Veronica

Hello Crafty Friends!

Veronica here to share a spread in my summer album. This August Life Crafted kit has the most gorgeous colors that summer has ever seen! I love the beach theme! 

For this spread, I decided to use a pattern paper and water color to highlight all 3 stamps from this month! I used 4 summer colors to match this bright and fun kit!

 I also stitched some labels on top and below of the page.

I love add tons of puffy stickers and tags here and there. This month's tags are bright and very much summer!

Hope you enjoyed a peek into my summer album for this year. Happy crafting!

Sunday Sketch with Patricia

Hello Beautiful CTK Friends!  Welcome to the first August Sunday Sketch.   Here is a look at the 12x12 sketch that I used to inspire my 6x8 layout using the August Scrapbooking Add-On Kit.

I used the Life Unscripted cut file to start my 6x8 layout on the left by flipping the hearts so that the flow would resemble the drops and motion at the bottom of the sketch.

I cut the Life Unscripted cut file separately.  First, with just the hearts for the background of my layout and backed with the book paper and then using the the rainbow pattern paper you see on the right for the title.  I made sure it cut where the rays would be seen in the title to add that affect.  Next, I used more of the book paper, transparent die cut, frame die cut, and pattern paper to create the blocks going across the page, but instead of copying the sketch, it inspired me to lay them in a layered look with just one photo adhered across the layers.  

Once that design was in place, I started added more die cuts, stickers, and stamping to finish the page.

For the right side, I used the Page Protector #3, 4x6 + Journaling spot.  I trimmed that same pattern paper used from my cut out title on the left to help create balance between the sides.  Then just finished that top pocket with another photo and a few embellishments and stamping.  I used the new Stories stamp set for all of the stamping on this project.  So love the embellishments and stamps to create this light layered look for this pocket.  Those tiny stickers and the foam flower stickers are a must-have!  The L and the R foam alphas are from the Life Crafted August kit.  It helped to create just a pop of color.

To help the flow of colors and balance, I trimmed a solid piece of that same pattern paper I used for the title and top pocket to type my journaling to finish this project.

My new favorite kit!  Just amazing and I hope the kit as well as this new Sunday Sketch inspire you to take some time to create!

3 to Inspire With Lisa Varshine

Hi friends! I can't believe it's August already. Today I'm here to share a quick 3-to-Inspire challenge using the August kits, including the add-on kit. I can't wait till you guys get these kits, they are gorgeous!

I've been using one of the newest Life Crafted album colors to collect stories about myself. These stories are few and far between for me, since I spend the majority of my crafting time telling stories about my two young kids. These new colors are so vivid and cheerful, exactly what I need right now.

In these pages, I'm talking about my photography degree and the long and winding road I've taken to finally decide to enroll. I was so inspired by the florals and soft colors in the beautiful Crate Paper papers, die cuts, and chipboard stickers. So, for this spread, I'm challenging you to create a layout using 1) a photo of yourself, 2) florals, and 3) a muted color palette.

I'm going to be really honest: taking a good picture of myself requires a ton of shots. Telling a story about pursuing photography doesn't naturally bring to mind dynamic photo options. I obviously included a shot of my two main cameras. But, I also thought it was a good opportunity to get myself in my albums.

I'm not typically a florals girl, but these completely changed my mind. It was also a great compliment to a very feminine picture of myself. The die-cuts from Crate Paper include a few transparent acetate flowers and I like the idea of trimming this one slightly so it would slide into the pocket, add a little interest, repeat the floral pattern, and add an interactive element (it can be slipped out of the pocket very easily). It does double duty by slightly obscuring any thoughts or stories you have that may be more personal.

To repeat the florals and carry the beautiful colors across the page, I trimmed two tags and stapled them together on the bottom of my picture. I'm really happy with how this spread turned out and I cannot wait to indulge my new obsession with florals. Thanks for letting me share these pages and I hope you find a little inspiration for your next project.