Citrus Twist October Sneaks

Tomorrow is the first day of October which means the reveal of Citrus Twist's October Kits! 

To give you a little hint of what's to come, I am sharing a few sneaks of October's Add-On Kit....

 

 

 

Check back tomorrow for the full reveal!

 

Michelle

Big Cookies, Little Girls

Good morning! Today I want to share a simple technique that was inspired by this image I found on Pinterest.

The image features a starburst radiating out from the top left corner. I thought this would be a fun way to incorporate several pieces of the patterned paper in the Citrus Twist September Free Spirit Main Kit.



First, I took a sheet of 8.5 x 11 kraft paper, drew my pattern on it using a ruler. and cut it out with my paper trimmer.  I then numbered each piece so that I could remember what went where.
 

 

Next, I traced the templates onto my three pieces of patterned paper and cut them out.

 

 

 

And here is the starburst all put together:

 



 

Often times when I think of a starburst I picture it radiating out from a focal point and had I not seen the image on Pinterest, I am sure I would never have thought to have used it as I did.

 



 

 

Tomorrow I will be sharing sneaks of Citrus Twist's October Add-On Kit, so make sure and stop on by!

Michelle

 



 

 



Pool

Now that it is officially fall, I thought I would share a summer layout ;).

 

 

 

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This particular layout was inspired by Lilith Eeckels' Layering Class and, as you can see, I definitely brought the layers for this layout! (P.S. I really tried to edit away the blue skintone that my daughter is sporting, but my amatuer skills were no match to the plain fact that my daughter really was looking a little....blue. Still wondering how it was possible that a swimming pool in Las Vegas in June was freezing cold???)
 

As a member of the scrapbooking community, I believe in supporting other scrapbookers as much as I am able.  In most cases, this means I am a dedicated blog reader. I love reading about other's processes, seeing their work, commenting, and sharing in galleries and Pinterest.  And, when I have the room in my scrappy budget, I take classes from other scrapbookers.

I love taking classes.  I finished college before my girls were born and I miss it!  Ha.  I am a nerd.  Nothing beats being in the classroom, smelling those lovely, thick books, and getting assigned homework.  And honestly, I dream of going back to school and working on another degree or a masters (which, by the way, slightly frightens my husband). Taking scrappy classes is one way that I fill that ever present need to learn as well as provides me with opportunities for my craft and style to grow and evolve. 

Wishing you a great day!

Michelle

 

 

 

John Green

I know this is a little odd, but I am a little resistent to reading books that "everyone" is raving about, especially when there are movies coming out and the hype is crazy. I did not start reading the Harry Potter series until Book 3 came out.  I started the Twilight Saga after Eclipse hit theaters. I only read Hunger Games because my mom made me. 

Naturally of course, John Green's The Fault In Our Stars recieved the same response.  This time though, before I caved in to peer pressure completely, I rebelled and read another John Green novel first. 

 

 

Looking for Alaska appealed to me in a "My So Called Life" sort of a way. In Looking for Alaska, Green very deftly and convincingly communicates the coming-of-age anxiety and angst that permeates those days when you are transitioning from a teenager to an adult.  You know, those intense feelings that no adult can even possibly understand that threaten to overtake your ability to function?  Those.  And Green does so in a way that is both realistic and compelling.  I could not put this book down. 

 

Finally, I opened up A Fault In Our Stars and I was not dissappointed.  I knew the basic premise of the book and its outcome before starting the novel, but I could not have guessed at how deeply the tragedy would cut.  I'm not talking about cancer and the toll it takes.  Certainly cancer is tragic-no argument there-but what I am referring to is the act of living while dying.  The knowing that life is going to come to an end and trying to grasp all that you can, while you can; the struggle of worrying about those you are leaving and not wanting to leave them.....  John Green captures the non-physical part of the cancer and it's devistating. 

 

Love them both.

 

Michelle



Bloom

In my last post, I professed my love for SC's Brighton Pier and Crate's Notes & Things and today I want to continue along that line with another layout combining the two.

Last May, which feels like eons ago, my husband and I went on a four hour hike to explore an old Native American site.  Along the way I stopped and photographed all the beautiful blooms.  The area we were at can best be described as high desert and it is always so suprising to see the flora that erupts from such a dry and sandy land.

 

 

 

 

Crazy how such a beautiful, HOT PINK flower blooms from a cactus!  Mother Nature is truly amazing.

 

Michelle

 

 

Explore

Lately, I have been on a sketch kick and have been dedicating one layout a week to a sketch that has caught my interest. 

This time I was once again inspired by a Sunday Sketch from Studio Calico and put it to use with pictures of my husband and I on a hike we did in May.

 

 

 

 

And was I super surprised when on Monday I found out that Explore was the Featured Member Layout of the Week!  Fun stuff!

 

This layout was put together with a combination of products from SC's Brighton Pier and Crate's Notes & Things, two lines that I believe were made for each other (In fact, I finally just gave up and combined the two lines as opposed to keeping them seperated.)  I had originally planned to use a white background, but went with a kraft one instead.  Really digging how great the gold looks on the kraft.

 

Michelle

 

Collect

My oldest daughter is a collector. Everywhere we go she is always on the lookout for anything interesting.  Of course, the beach is full of amazing possibilities and I chose to document a few of these items from a July beach trip.

 

 

 

This page also has a co-ordinating pocket page:

 

 

 

 

Michelle

This

This past July my husband and I were able to get away to the mountains for a few days--kids free!

This particilular location we went to in the Sierra Nevadas is only accessible via a Jeep trail and it's pretty impossible to fit three kids, a dog, and all our necessities into the Jeep.  Thankfully, my awesome parents were able to come and stay with the kids and I was able to join my husband this year on his annual trip.

Since I had no one but myself to worry about on this trip, I took a whole lot of photos. It was so nice to just move around as I pleased and focus on one of my favorite hobbies.  And because I have so many pictures and I did not really want to pick just a few to document, I decided to dedicate an entire Handbook to the occasion. 

Here is my first layout for my album:

 

 

 

My layout was inspired by a sketch from Studio Calico.  When I saw the sketch, I knew I wanted to give it a go and instantly thought of the pictures from this trip.  I thought it was an easy way to jump into a big project, especially since this was my first time scrapping a 6x8 page. 
 

 

Seriously, 6x8 layouts are so cute and tiny!  They make my usual 8.5x11 pages look giant!

 

Michelle

 

 

 

 

#Beach

In the past few months, I have been giving typed journaling a go using my printer and I am finding that I love it more and more everytime.  Here's why:

 

I have really been wanting to focus more on the storytelling aspect

 and find that typing my journaling gives me more room and more

opportunity to "think it out."

 

Spellcheck.  Normally, spelling is not a problem, but with an increase

in the amount of journaling, spellcheck is a great backup in case my

brain, eyes, and English degree fail.

 

I can play around with journaling placement.  When I write directly

on my layout, I cannot go back and change it.  It is there for life

whether I like it or not. 

 

This last reason recently resulted in this layout:
 

 

Lately I have been liking a title placed on it's side, so I thought, why not do the same with my journaling??  By pre-printing my journaling on a regular sheet of paper, I was able to easily adjust its placement to make room for the other elements of my layout as well as decide if I actually like it.
 

 

 

Michelle

 

 



 



 

 



Citrus Twist's September Reveal

Hello!  This month at Citrus Twist the reveal of the September kits came a little earlier thanks to an adjustment of schedule.  Now, instead of a reveal date of the 5th, September's kits, as well as future kits, will now be revealed to all on the 1st of the month at 10 p.m. PST.  Yeah! 

Starting next month, I will sync my reveal blog post to go live on the second of the month, but for now, here is a look at the September Kits that I scrapped with....

Free Spirit Main Kit

 

Spread Your Wings Embellishment Kit

And here are my projects:

 

 

 

Absolutely loved these kits.  They are full of new releases from both Crate Paper and Studio Calico and I would argue that these two paper lines were made for each other because they just blended together so seamlessly.  Making my layouts was pure fun and a labor of love. In fact, I have officially declared this month's kits to be my FavoriteKitsEver!

Also, Citrus Twist currently revealed a brand new website which includes a beautiful new gallery.  To celeberate, Citrus Twist is calling for your work in our Gallery and is running a contest with the giveaway of one $100 embellishment kit grab bag. For each project you upload to the new gallery, you will recieve one entry into a drawing for the grab bag.  Your Gallery entries must be posted on or before September 30th. All gallery posts from August 26th-September 30th will earn entries into the drawing.  Awesome sauce!!

Michelle

Glitz Design: Sentimental

Good morning! Today I am going to share with you two quick and easy cards that are both simple and sweet and good for almost any occassion.

First, using the "Bits & Pieces" sheet from "Felicity," I chose two journaling cards and cut them out.

 

 

Next, I punched out four squares for each card using two sheets of paper from the "Felicity" six inch paper pad and arranged them a little haphazardly on top of my card base.  I also rounded the corners of the two journaling cards to give them a more finished look.



 

 

 

I then picked out a few stickers from the "Carpe Diem" sticker sheet and layered them along with a doily and frame from my supplies.

 



 

To add dimension to the cards I chose one element from each card to adhere with pop dots. 

 



 

 

And here are the final cards!

 

 

 



Supplies Used:

Glitz Design "Felicity" Paper:  Bits & Pieces
Glitz Design "Felicity" 6 inch Paper Pack
Glitz Design "Felicity" Alphas & Accents Sticker Sheet
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Titles & Accents Sticker Sheet
Other:  cardstock, thread, sequins, mist, chipboard frames

Today

I don't know about you, but I think I could successfully argue that PINK is the new neutral.  I find that pink is consistently popping up in paper products everywhere and I find that I turn to it over and over again....not just in layouts about my little girls.  For instance, check this layout out:

 

 

I don't think the pink feminized my layout  at all.  Instead, I think it picks up on the pinks in their skin tones and in the sand. 
 

 

 

I've recently came upon some conversations where scrappers have argued that there is too much pink in products and kits  and that pink is too girly making it hard to scrap the boys in their lives.  As usual, it would seem as if I am in the minority because I think scrapping with pink is not limiting at all.  I think pink is on trend right now and I find myself using it over and over again because it really compliments so many other colors.

 

What do you think?  Are you Team Pink or are you Team Down With Pink??  LOL. 

 

Michelle

 



 

Glitz Design: Sparkle & Shine

Good morning!  Today I am focusing on Glitz Designs' Alpha & Sticker Sheets.
.
Stickers have become one of my go-to embellishments because they are versatile.  You can use them as is, adhere pop dots for added dimension, alter them to make them your own, layer to add details, or use them to tell the story as I did in this next layout, "Today I am Thankful."

One of my go-to stategies for storytelling, is to browse through the words and sayings on sticker sheets. Often times they will spark an idea, give me a direction to go in, or as in this case, actually provide the title and journaling for me. 

As I browsed through several of the sticker sheets, I zeroed in on the "Today I Am Thankful" sticker from "Carpe Diem" and the "How Wonderful Life Is" sticker from "77" because they both emcompassed the feelings I had when I looked at the picture of my daughters.

 

Wishing you a great day!

"Today I Am Thankful" Supplies:

Glitz Design 6" Paper Pack "Brightside"
Glitz Design Paper "Black & White": Wood Grain
Glitz Design Alphas & Accents Sticker Sheet "Brightside"
Glitz Design Alphas & Accents Sticker Sheet "Felicity"
Glitz Design Alphas & Accents Sticker Sheet "77"
Glitz Design Alphas & Accents Sticker Sheet  "Carpe Diem"

Citrus Twist September Sneaks

How is it even possible that it is already September?? Well it is and that means it's time for sneaks of Citrus Twist's September Kits before they reveal tonight at 10 p.m. Pacific time.


This month I worked with both the Main and Embellishment kits.

 

 

 

Check back on the 5th for the full reveal of my projects! 

 

Michelle