3-to-Inspire with Shannon

 

Hey there, crafty friends! Shannon here with a fun 3-to-Inspire to share with you. I tried to think of something I could do differently with this page and I kind of love the result. Let's get to my three things!

1. Write your journaling different than usual

2. Use florals

3. Stamp your title

Now let's look at how I brought that all together on this layout in my Life Crafted album.

I started with the Documenter Travelers Notebook Basics, Version 1, Digital Papers as the base for my journaling. I knew I wanted my journaling to be a full page so I used a paper with a faint patterned background. To make my journaling different than usual, I wrote it as if I was writing a book. There are a lot of quotes and inner monologues in my journaling. I've never journaled like this before but I can assure you that it won't be the last time. It was really fun!

Need some inspiration to switch up your journaling? I shared a few ideas in this post from December 2020.

Next, I pulled out the florals. When I decided to use florals I really went all in on the idea! Thankfully, the Florals Ephemera Pack gave me plenty of options. Since the opposing page is full of journaling and my photo contains neutral colors, I was able to use all sorts of colors for my florals. I just made sure to space them well around the photo.

To layer them, I held the photo in place and tucked everything behind it. I started with the largest pieces as the base and then built up from there. I then carefully lifted my photos. Underneath was a wreath of sorts. I applied adhesive to the outer edges on the back of my photo and carefully stuck it back down. When I lifted it up again my ephemera "wreath" was stuck to it. I carefully moved around the wreath with my adhesive to stick down anything that needed to be stuck down. Then, I used stronger adhesive to attach the whole stack of ephemera to my page with the photo on top.

Finally, I stamped my title at the top of my journaling page. The Chloe stamp complemented my typewriter-style journaling perfectly! Lining my title up along the top line of the page helped me keep everything straight. This is especially helpful if you have to stamp a word using only a few letters at a time, as I did here since the "u" appears twice. If you're not stamping along an existing line you can use the lines on your acrylic block or draw a faint line with a pencil. 

I hope I've inspired you to try something new this week! If you follow these prompts, be sure to share on social media and tag Citrus Twist. Happy crafting!

Using Your Words with Shannon

 

Hey there, Citrus Twist friends! We are just days from Christmas (if you celebrate) so I wanted to share a story from my December Details album. I opted to use a Life Crafted album to house my project. Actually, if I'm being honest, my project has grown into two albums. And that's just fine with me! Whatever it takes to get my stories told. As a matter of fact, that's what I want to talk to you about today. Stories.

We all scrapbook for different reasons. Some like making pretty things. Some like playing with mixed media. Some like writing all the words. Some are a mix. I find myself leaning more toward writing all the words more often than not. I like a good balance of creative play and writing. I enjoy finding fun ways to write my journaling. Otherwise, it can just feel like a chore, and who wants that?

If you read my journaling above you'll see how I turned it into a fun story. I infused some of my sarcastic personality into the writing and made sure to make it something that would be fun for the kids to read. Since I have a 6-year-old who is an avid reader and a lover of my scrapbooks I have to be mindful of what I write and keep the magic of Christmas alive. Plus, I think you'll agree that journaling in this way is much more engaging to the reader! When I have a lot to say, like I did here, I love using the TN Basics from Citrus Twist. The one I used here is from the December TN Basics pack. I bring it into Photoshop to type out my journaling. Since I enjoy the typewriter look I use Remington Noiseless (8 point size) for my font.

Looking for other ways to vary your journaling? Here are a few ideas:

• Write out a list (kind of like I'm doing right now!)
• Format it as a letter. It doesn't need to be to a person. I've seen people address their letters to a favorite store, drink, ornament, etc.
• Write it as a "breaking news" story. How fun would this be for Santa's arrival?!
• Write it out interview-style.

And now, since I enjoy the creative part of scrapbooking as much as I enjoy the writing part, let's take a quick look at the rest of this layout.

I used a mix of the Sparkle & Joy kit, Comfort & Joy Digital Journaling Cards, December TN Basics, and Comfort & Joy Digital Elements to bring everything together. That card in the lower left corner? That's a TN Basics page shrunk down to size. And the card in the upper right is a 4x3 card from Sparkle & Joy kit that I cut down to fit the Instax-size page protectors. In fact, I used the back of that card for the opposite side of the layout. Double-sided cards for the win!

See that ruler card? That's the B side of the "25" card. And the "holiday cheer" card? That's a December TN Basics. The beauty of using digital/hybrid items is that you can repurpose them in so many different ways! Also - if you're looking to add the Instax look to your photos without an Instax camera, you can download a free Photoshop template in the Citrus Twist Kits Fan Page group on Facebook.

Finally, the title page. If you could call it that. I had a few scraps from the paper pack in the Sparkle & Joy kit that I wanted to use but none were long enough to be a full page. I didn't love the look of the seam so I added a line of labels to cover it up. I used the Sparkle & Joy Christmas Stamp to add a sentiment to each label (and then accidentally punched a hole through part of a sentiment - whoops!). I used the candy apple red puffy alpha for a monotone look of my "she's here." Then I decided that the page still needed a little something, which is where the large "this" die cut came in. After that, I had to make myself stop!

I hope that I've given you some new ideas for ways to breathe new life into your journaling. What one are you going to try first? I hope you'll share when you're done!

3-To-Inspire with Adele

Hello lovelies!

I am up today with a fun and interactive 3-to-Inspire challenge. I decided to try something that I don't often use on my pages - hidden journaling!

I challenge you to include these items on your next layout:

1. Hidden journaling,
2. Acetate pieces, and
3. A tag.

I matched the excitedness I was feeling in this photo with lots of fun, bright colours and circles galore!

By creating a large pocket, I was able to easily slip my journaled tag in and out of my page.

I am sad to announce that this is my final project as part of the Citrus Twist DT - I have absolutely LOVED my time on the Creative Team and will still continue to subscribe to the kits so I don't miss out on any of the gorgeous goodies!

I have created a process video showing how I used the three challenge items, I hope you enjoy it!

Adele :)

Memories

One of the really cool things that you will find in your scrapbook kits, is a fun and exclusive cut apart sheet.  Each month this sheet includes an assortment of tags, labels, shapes, and phrases and today I am going to share one way that I like to use them!

Since purchasing an used manual typewriter six months ago, I have been all about typing my journaling and the cut apart sheet is just perfect for this!  I love being able to quickly load my sheet and type my journaling straight away. 

For today's layouts, I used a total of three labels to type a few details from this day. After cutting them out with a pair of scissors, I was able to play around with their placement until I found the right spot for them. The colors in the cut apart sheet coordinate perfectly with the June Scrapbook Kit.

So how do you all like to use the cut apart sheet? Do you like the labels like me or are the phrases more your thing? I would love to hear your ideas! 

Michelle

GraceBox Kit with Dedra

Hi there sweet friends and happy Wednesday! Today I wanted to share a bible journaling page I created using the latest Citrus Twist GraceBox Kit and the most common process I use when I'm bible journaling, especially when using watercolors.

First, I always prep the page with clear gesso. My two favorite tubes of gesso are from Dina Wakely and Prima. Both will give you very nice, smooth coverage and will prevent the watercolors from transferring to the opposite page. 

To apply the gesso I have a bowl of old gift cards I use to "scrape" it across the page. When I first started using gesso I was struggling with how to scrape it on the page without ripping it. Since the pages of a bible are usually super thin, the best way to apply it is to turn the bible sideways with the page turned closest to you. Put your bible mat, cardboard or a piece of cardstock under the page so you don't transfer the gesso onto the pages below. Grab your bottle of gesso and squirt it directly onto the page. Take your scraping tool or old gift card and spread the gesso from the center of the bible toward you until you have covered the entire page or the area where you will be using watercolors, stamps or any medium that you do not want to be seen on the opposite page.
Since I'm really impatient I use a heat tool to dry the gesso. Your page will be a little wrinkled and feel limp, but that is totally normal.

Next, I grab my watercolor tins. I use a spray bottle to mist the watercolor pans I would like to use. This gets them wet and ready for my watercolor brush. You can get your watercolor and wet with your watercolor brush as well, but I just prefer to use the spray bottle so I'm not refilling my watercolor brush constantly. Just my personal preference. :) :)

There are many ways and different techniques that can be used to create a watercolor effect. For this particular page I used some plastic packaging I had laying around. I added watercolor directly to the packaging and "smooshed" it onto the page in the areas I wanted color. Through a lot of trial and error I found one of the most important things to remember when using watercolor is to let each layer dry before adding another and that each time water is added the layers of color will react. So, have fun experimenting and if you're feeling nervous try experimenting in an art journal or notebook, etc. something that is not important if you mess up. 

One of my favorite things to do in my journaling bible is to stamp. Whether it's florals, patterns or in this case, hearts, phrases and arrows. 

When stamping and using watercolors or any form of mixed media the archival ink from Ranger is my go to. The awesome thing about archival ink is, once it's dry it's permanent. You can use any form of mixed media and it will not effect your stamped image. It's truly magic and hands down the best option.

I like to add stickers, washi tape, die cut cardstock pieces, tabs, etc. anything that will add that "finishing touch."

Lastly, and most importantly, I make sure to leave room in the design for journaling. Sometimes I have a long message, whether it's a prayer that I have for my girls, husband, mother or talking directly to our heavenly father. Sometimes I'm thanking Him for all of the gifts he has bestowed upon us. Whatever he is putting on my heart is what I want to document. For journaling my favorite "go to" pen is the Micron .03 or .05. Once dry it never smears. 

One of the things I love most about the Citrus Twist GraceBox Kit is the exclusive, wonderfully designed, stamp sets and journaling cards and the amount of embellishments that seem endless!

Wishing you a blessed week! 

xoxo

Dedra

3 to Inspire

Hi friends, Tara here with another "3 to Inspire" challenge for you. You can find this challenge here every Saturday for those who need a little extra creative push to get scrapbooking, keep scrapbooking or for those who just like a challenge! Don't forget to read through the end to see how you can enter to win some Happy Mail.


My prompts for you today are:

1. stamping a patterned background 
2. adding color with mixed media
3. long journaling/story telling

Here is my finished layout in my traveler's notebook for this challenge:

I recently celebrated my birthday last month. I had some goals I wanted to achieve before this birthday and I realized I haven't reached any of them!!! Instead of beating myself up and feeling sorry for myself, I took this birthday as an opportunity to start fresh. We are always so hard on ourselves and this year I am practicing more self-love. I took this as a great opportunity to share that in my spread here.

I really wanted to work more with some mixed media and decided to break out my acrylic paints that have been sitting barely used. I started with a layer of white Gesso smeared on the page. Then I alternated using blue, coral, and yellow paints on a gift card to get the little smears. I went vertical and horizontal for a more messy, but colorful look. I wanted to tone it down a bit so I added a light layer of Gesso again. Then one more layer in a few places of the three paints. I made sure to use my heat tool (you can use a hair dryer too) to dry each layer. at first I wasn't sure if I would love it but in the end it was just perfect!!

I then added my stamping background using the "XOXO" sentiment from the June GraceBox kit. I wanted to make sure it had the stamp throughout so I stamped around my photo that I already glued down.

I love all the little sentiments in the kit. I added some of the die cuts and a sticker from the kit, as well as an old wood chip piece I had from a previous kit. 

Here is a closer look at my journaling.

I used the washi sample included in the GraceBox kit and the scallop stamp from the Scripture Doodles stamp set. I also drew a box around my journaling. I really love how well the Illustrated Faith pens work on top of mixed media. They are truly the best ever.


I'm completely smitten with the gold and cork hearts in the Sprinkles kit this month - I wish I had a lot of extras for my stash! I used one of the heart leatherette stickers I had left over from a kit and added a homemade enamel dot. There is a little bit of light layering with vellum and a bit of the Elle's Studio paper from the June 'Boardwalk' PL kit.

I also used the fun "On Record" stamp from the Boardwalk kit. I know I"ll be using that stamp a lot. I love the font so much!

Now it's your turn! To play along, simply create a project (scrapbooking, pocket life, bible journaling, etc) using this week's prompts. Upload it to the Gallery with today's date (6/3) in the title, and you will be eligible to win some Happy Mail from the CTK store. I can't wait to see what you create.

Have a lovely weekend! Xxo, Tara

3 to Inspire | Gina Rodgers

Happy Saturday all..it's time for another 3 to Inspire challenge!

Each Saturday, a member of our team prepares 3 prompts to serve as starting points for a project. In order to play along with us AND be eligible for a prize, you must create a project that includes all three prompts. Here are this weeks prompts:

1. use 2 journal tags

2. use some foam tape or tabs to create dimension

3. include 2 or more wood veneer embellishments

For this page, I used the May Hello Beautiful and Pattern Paper Play kits

I've used some foam squares under the flower die cut and also under a couple of the stickers in the title below. This is a great way to make something 'pop' and add dimension to your page

The wood veneer shapes and phrases are always a favourite of mine and being neutral, will go with any colours and patterns you chose to use

Now it's your turn! Simply create a project using the 3 prompts and upload to the CTK gallery with today's date [5/27] in the title for your chance to win a small prize from the CTK store. Have fun!

Gina x

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Sunday Sketch with Wendy

Hello everyone!

Happy Sunday!  Do you love the weekly CTK (Citrus Twist Kits) Sunday Sketch as much as I do?  We can vote to equally agree, ha!

Even better you can take your weekly sketches, print them down mini size, and make them into a mini idea book you can quickly grab for inspiration.  Just a thought.
Ok, I digress, now on to the Sunday Sketch.

Now here's my take on the sketch...

I love to play around with lots of stamping and layers on my layouts.  So, this one was no exception.  Plus, the kit selections, CTK stamps, and CTK Exclusives makes it super easy to do so. I love to "mix-and-match" with product not only from the current CTK kits but also from past kits.  The kits are truly timeless to use now and/or later. 

I chose the phrase title "always dreaming of..." from ephemera in a previous kit and let it lead into my stamped "journaling" at the bottom of the page.  This is a favorite technique that I love and use often in my projects.  It's great when you don't have a lot of time for handwritten journaling yet you want to perfectly capture the moment in the photo(s).

Did you know there's even a CTK Stamp Grab Bag over in the shop?  So, you might be lucky to grab up some past stamp sets you missed from previous releases!  Some of these stamps used in my "journaling" above are even from 2015 and still fit in seamlessly strong with the stamp gangs from 2016 and 2017! Ha!

I also use a stamped phrase as part of my title work.  And the 2x3 Numbers stamp set over in the shop is perfectly sized for Pocket Life cards. 

Here I layered the edge of a Pocket Life card to peek from behind my picture.  So, I encourage you to think outside of your Pocket Life style pages.

On this piece of ephemera, I added some stamped stars and words to tie into my theme of the layout.  This Guest Check receipt was just too perfect not to use for my layout theme!

As a finishing touch, I loved this phrase on a Pocket Life card and decided to trim it to fit at the top of my layout along with a CTK exclusive Digital Cut-a-Part Label that you'll find in the kits.

To play along with this week's challenge, create a layout inspired by the sketch, upload it to the Citrus Twist Kits Gallery with the sketch date (5/21) in the title, and you might win a $5 gift certificate to the CTK store.  Easy peasy!

xx Wendy