Sunday Sketch with Leigh

Hello friends, Leigh here to share a Sunday Sketch for today.

The Mermaid Add-on Kit this month is awash in sun-bleached, gorgeous summer colors.

A rainbow of embroidery floss was used to match the beautiful kit colors.

I had so much fun choosing little die cuts and bits to place along the different colors of stitched rays.

Close up to show the hand-stitched floss and variety of pretty kit embellishments.

I cut the die cut apart to feature the words I wanted for the title. "Mermaid Hair" was perfect for this photo of my daughter's hair this summer.

I layered a die cut frame, surfboard, and polka-dot mat from the six by six paper pad in the kit, under the photo, and raised it up on foam dots.

Aren't the colors in the Mermaid Add-on Kit for July 2017 so beautiful? It is the perfect kit with so many options for creating in your Traveler's Notebooks, Planners, and paper crafting projects this summer. 

Thank you for joining us today, and happy crafting,

Leigh

July Guest Designer: Meet Jodie King

This month subscriber and pocket page scrapbooker Jodie King is joining us from Down Under. You may recognize Jodie from all of the beautifully crafted PL pages she posts on the Facebook Citrus Twist Kits Fan Page and on Instagram.

Meet Jodie!

I’m a 40 something empty nester from the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Australia. I first started paper-crafting in 2008 and currently my favourite scrapping format is Pocket Life, but I also love travellers notebooks and planners. I work as a manager in an accountancy firm, and while I love the technical side of my job, I just adore spending every spare minute I’m not at work indulging my artistic side, which for me is almost always papercraft.

Q&A:

1. I’ve been documenting in pocket pages since 2013 when I saw some finished albums from one of Becky Higgins’ DT at the Brisbane Scrapbook Expo. I fell in love with pocket page albums for two main reasons. By putting photos in albums, it gets them off our smart phones! I’m also super passionate about recording the little every-day details that would otherwise get forgotten with the passage of time.
2. My PL style is product driven, clean and simple overall, but also with layers and details on individual pockets. A spread of mine will always, always have some kind of stitching!
3. That’s a hard one! I draw so much inspiration from the global scrapbooking community, but three of my absolute favourites that have influenced my style are Paige Evans, Mel Blackburn and Marie Lottermoser.
4. Something that not many people know about me is that I love love love spicy food!  I would put chilli on everything if I could, and have been known to add it to a breakfast omelette ha!
5. The thing that has helped me keep up with my PL the most is downsizing the size of my album.  I’ve been working in a 6x8 album the past two years and it seems to fit with the time I have to craft perfectly. A couple of other tips are to take advantage of pre-designed cards and to sketch a rough plan of your pockets and where photos and cards will be placed, before you start actually pulling  papers and embellishments out.
6. I’m head over heals for the July #rightnow Pocket Life Kit!!  It has a super-fun bright colour palette, and the blues in the kit are almost denim or chambray like. CTK are knocking it out of the park with their exclusive designs, take this months gold foiled chipboard stickers for example, with gold foil pieces complimented with pops of bottle green and navy - they're just divine! The CTK Pocket Life kit always has the best combination of 6x6 paper, pocket life cards and ephemera.  I love that with the 6x6 paper this kit is fabulous for not just Pocket Life, but other projects like mini albums, travellers notebooks and planners, it’s just so versatile! And even better CTK now has awesome new international shipping pricing!!

Are you ready for a tour of my scrapbooking space? Here we go!

Like my scrap style, my scrap space is fairly clean and uncluttered. 

My scrap room doubles as our study, but that’s fine by me because it gives me quick access to my computer, regular printer, Picturemate photo printer, and Silhouette when I’m working on PL! 

My scrap desk is an Ikea Hemnes desk and add on unit, and this keeps all of my most-used products easily at hand. I also have both a high and low Alex drawer set  - the high one is the perfect height for my vintage Contessa typewriter to sit on. The computer desk is a vintage desk that I painted white and added some pretty crystal drawer knobs to, which I found at Zara Home.  

I’ve also recently added a small station for my sewing machine, which is an Ikea Norassen laptop table.  And lastly one of my very fave pieces in my scrap room is my Ikea chair that doubles as a study/scrap chair. It’s so comfortable and I love that it has wheels so I can scoot from one side of the room to the other!  Oh my goodness… what would I do without Ikea right?! 

Stay tuned for some of my July pocket pages. I'll be sharing them with you soon.

Jodie

30 Lists with Tara

Hiya friends!

I don't know about you but I am a list maker - to do's, wish lists, packing lists, grocery lists, and so much more. You can say I'm kind of a fan girl of lists.

Today I'm sharing how I used March's Oliver PL and Embellishment kits in a different way. I'm participating in 30 Days of Lists this month and it's loads of fun! I like having different ways of documenting and the pressure is off of me to come up with the prompts - so I thought I would give it a go.

Here is List 07 - 'People I Talk to Everyday":

I used the Citrus Twist Numbers Stamp in the shop to number my lists. I love the classic look of them that made each list perfect.

I used a journaling card that fit perfectly with the prompt, since the people I talk to everyday are my family and friends! And if you really want to know, yes, I do talk to myself. Sometimes I need a little pep talk or to say stuff out loud to figure it out. I admit I am a bit of a weird one...

I first made a title using some Kellie Stamps from my stash. Then I added washi from my stash to secure the card and exclusive Leopard puffy alpha stickers in the shop. The little Maggie Holmes labels and stickers worked out well here too. 

Here is a closer look.

Here is List 08 - "I'm Saving For":

Here I used some of the packaging for my layout. The striped 'journaling card' is the packaging from the PinkFresh Studios 'Dream On' ephemera. I also used the brown paper bag that the Embellishment kits come in for the title and the grid card that comes with the Citrus Twist exclusive stamps for the stamped label. I really do love re-purposing scraps and packaging in new ways. 

Do you like to make lists or are you participating in 30 Days of lists? We would love to hear about it and how you incorporate your Citrus Twist Kits with your lists.

Thank you for stopping by today. Stay crafty!

Xxo - Tara

3 To Inspire with Tara

Hello lovelies! Today it's Tara here on the blog sharing this week's installation of:

I love, love, LOVE 3 To Inspire because it helps give me direction when I am stuck in a rut and I just love recipe challenges. I hope you join me this week and get crafting! Don't forget to play along for your chance to win some happy mail - just read through the end. Here are your prompts:

1. use memorabilia
2. use word stickers/thickers
3. add in handwritten journaling

Here is the pocket page I created using August's "Kaleidoscope" Pocket Life and Sprinkles kits:

I am loving all the fun goodies found in the kits this month!!! I used Amy Tangerine's "hello" from the 'Oh Happy Life' sticker book to add a subtle but much needed extra on my photo by the hot springs. Here is a closer look.

I thought it would be so fun to use the Pocket Life stamp phrase "daily grind" and write "weekend" over it. And those acetate hearts from from Crate Paper's 'Cute Girl' line...I can't get enough of them!!

Sometimes I find myself using more photos or fun embellishments and journaling cards instead of documenting the stories. I really wanted to focus on that and I encourage everyone to embrace their handwriting! I know it can sometimes be intimidating, but just have a go at it.

And finally, here is where I used memorabilia. I used one of the ticket stubs from visiting the Roman Baths and turned it to show the backside. I then used it as a layering piece under our family photo.

I added more little layers from the patterned paper split pack. I just love them so much!


Ok, now it's your turn. Create something fun using these three prompts for a chance to win some happy mail. Share your creations in our Gallery and/or Facebook Forum . Don't forget to label it with the date, 08/06 too and enter by the 13th of August. You can also enter on Instagram by tagging @citrustwistkits.

Thank you for stopping by and we can't wait to see what you create!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Xxo, Tara

Snapshots Mini Album

Hello everyone, it's Tara here sharing my DIY Snapshots mini album. I have been feeling the itch to create a few mini albums to give away and I finally decided to try one out. Since I will be mailing it out, I had a few criteria to meet: light weight, small enough to display or take/move around, and interactive. I found a great accordion mini album tutorial that Stephanie Bryan made here. It required no stitching and seemed easy enough, so I decided to give it a go!

I made this one to give to my mother in law:

I used the cute heart patterned paper from the July Driftwood Main Kit. The heart cork piece was from a past Citrus Twist Kit and worked so well with this month's Pocket Life Driftwood Kit Cocoa Vanilla snip its.


I ended used two strips of 4x12 pieces instead of three, mostly because I mis-cut the last piece, but I loved how it turned out!

Here are a few close ups:

I wanted to add some interactive parts and also hide the journaling. I did this with a tag cut down from my stash. I also re-used a glassine bag from the kit to create a pocket for my tag. I can't get enough of that black and gold dot paper!! It's such a nice compliment to all the bold and bright colors.

I used both stamp sets from July's Main and PL kits. I have a slight addiction to stamps and always find a place to add them. I added more hidden journaling with the "notes" snip it tucked behind the photo.

On the tag, the "Hello, I Love You" phrase is from the Maggie Holmes Shine roller stamp. It's one of my favorite roller stamps!

Here is an idea of how small it is! I love how my mini album fits in my hand so easily. It's a great size and I plan to make a few more to give to friends and family.


Thank you for joining us today! I hope you try making some of your own mini albums too.

Have a lovely day!

Xxo, Tara

3 to Inspire with Tara

Hi everyone, Tara here with this week's 3 to Inspire challenge. I love having these little challenges to help me think out of the box and try new things with my layouts. Here are this week's prompts:

1 - use homemade journaling/Project Life cards
2 - use cork (or wood chips) shapes
3 - use patterned pops of color

Don't forget to use these three prompts to create either a Project Life spread or scrapbooking spread!

Here's my spread using the lovely May Pocket Life kit:

I really loved the embellishments included in the kit this month - Project Life "Currently" ephemera and Citrus Twist exclusive cork heart shapes! 

I fell madly in love with Paige Evans Fancy Free paper pad! The colors are beautiful and bright, which worked perfectly with the ephemera. I always love some neutrals so the heart was a nice addition. The stamp set included with hand lettering finished off one of the cards perfectly.

Now it's your turn! Use the three prompts to create your own layouts and share them with us in the Gallery and/or our Facebook Fan Page and you can win some happy mail! Be sure to include 06/21 in the title for your chance to win. I can't wait to see what you create!

Have a lovely day! 

Xxo, Tara

Pocket Life Sketch Friday with Tara

Good morning! It's my favorite day of the week and time for your weekly PL Sketch challenge. Today I'm sharing how to get your Pocket Life done quick and easy. These days, I don't have much time to spare.


The everyday moments fill up my heart more than I imagine! Here are a few:

I can't get enough of our April "Santorini" PL Kit! The colors are bright and bold - the exclusive 6x6 paper gave me a ton of mileage out of this month's kit. There can never be too many embellishments in my book, so I added another layer of stripes by using a Pinkfresh Life Noted chipboard sticker. The Life Noted acetate cut out words that came in the April Sprinkles Kit was just perfect to use here as my title.


Here is an up close shot:

To keep it simple, I used the Carpe Diem tiny word stickers instead of journaling. I love the little phrases in typewriter font. This month's PL kit had an arrow stamp included and it worked great here.



Luke and I are getting in a little cuddle while I do some meal prepping.

I'm smitten over the sleep journaling card this month! I wanted to hoard it but found it perfect with this layout. I also used one of the cut outs included in the PL kit - they are great in adding a little more to a photo or journaling card.


Here is your sketch:

Thanks for visiting Pocket Life Friday, where every week we share PL sketches and a chance to win. For your chance to win, create a layout based on the sketches in this blog post, post your layout to our Gallery or our Facebook Fan Page by Friday, May 6th. Be sure to include PL 05/29 in your title when posting!

Happy Weekend! Xxo, Tara

Friday Pocket Life Sketch March17

Hello and Happy St. Patricks Day everyone! Most of the people I know are downtown enjoying the parade a festivities, but I am right where I want to be.. in my studio surrounded by all of my scrapbook goodies!

So today I want to share the sketch I created for the March Sonoma Pocket Life kit. You'll often find pockets with overlapping photos or embellishments on my pages. I like to be creative with the placement of things and I don't let the pockets stand in the way of that.

Here's my sketch. My apologies that it's hand drawn. I know it looks a bit silly.

Here is the translation to layout form.

Lots of dainty embellishing here and there so as not to overwhelm the photos. Here's a look at the full weeks spread.

and a close up of the left side as well..

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're on the right side of the pinching today!

Every week we share PL sketches and a chance to win. For your chance to win, create a layout based on the sketches in this blog post, post your layout to our Gallery or our Facebook Fan Page by Friday, March 26, 2016. Be sure to include PL 03/18 in your title when posting!

Pocket Life March Kit Love

Hello everyone. Can you believe it's already March?! The good thing about the months flying by is that it means it's time for a new kit! Something I look forward to each and every time the calendar flips. Here's the layout I made using only the Pocket Life kit. 

Left side of the spread.

Right side of the spread.

Full spread. 

And here is a layout I created using the beautiful March Pocket Life + Embellishment kits.

I can't wait to see what you all create with these goodies. I'm loving the color palette this month, as well as all of the embellishments. Too fun! Thanks for stopping by.

Elizabeth