Right Now

Hello! Today I am sharing a layout that I created with the October "Waverly" Scrapbook Kit from Citrus Twist Kits that documents a knee injury from when I tripped on a baby gate. Yes, I trip on things pretty routinely, but this was the first time I really hurt myself. My husband warned me pretty frequently not to step over the gate, but I obviously did not listen! Ha ha.

This fall actually hurt really bad. I tripped on the gate that goes into the garage from the backyard and the garage floor is cement.  I have fallen once before (slipped on the kitchen counter) and thought I was going to die, but I was able to get up after a few moments and move on with my day. And in full disclosure, I often trip, fall, and run into things-according to my husband I am a walking danger to all those I am around and I can't entirely deny that! This one though, was different. Instead of getting up and walking it off, the tightness/pain just got worse and when I woke up the next morning I couldn't bend my knee or walk. Pretty pathetic. 

Luckily after all was said and done, I only had a badly bruised bone and fluid in my knee. It all healed with time and patience and I am so incredibly thankful that I didn't tear anything. I think the worse wound though was the fact that I did this to myself. It was totally preventable. Do not step over baby gates, they are dangerous ;).

Wishing you a great day!

Michelle a.k.a. "The Klutzy One"

Reading

Hello! Reading is my number one hobby. I couldn't imagine a life without a shelf full of books. I always have something going. Of course, with the arrival of the girls my reading time shrunk a little and when I do have the time, I am almost always too tired.

My solution for reading more is to sneak it in and take advantage of any free time that pops up. This means I always have a book or two in my bag, ready to go. This really comes in handy for the time I spend waiting in my car for kiddos to get out of school or finish practice. Not to mention the heavy bag full of books could come in handy if I am ever in a situation where I need to defend myself ;).

Once in a while though, I will have a very rare few hours without any small children or chores to distract me and then I am off and running to my books! This next layout shows you just how I can ready anywhere, anytime.....

Yes, I am at a NASCAR race reading The Magicians :). Now I go to watch the races, but we are at the track three days in a row and there is a little downtime between practices, qualifying, and races. I take advantage of this time every year and always pack several books. I also read on the way to and from the track, but this might be more because I am attempting to ignore how fast my brother is driving ;). 

Now in all my trips to the races, I have never seen another person reading a book. At least that was until this trip. I gave a mental high five to the lady when I spied the book packed in her bag!

I made this layout using the leftovers from my May Citrus Twist Kits. The colors in this this kit are pretty great, but the real gem is the pack of ephemera from Becky Higgins that is in the now sold out, PL Kit. 

I loved this entire pack of diecuts. First, they are printed on a bright white cardstock which is a fave. Second, they are so "useable." Really, I can see myself using the entire package (the "reading" title that I used is from this pack.)  And I love the silver foil!

Thanks for letting me share my project with you!

Michelle

Citrus Twist Kits: May

Good morning and happy Friday! Before we all dive into NSD fun, I wanted to share my projects that I made with the May Kits from Citrus Twist. Citrus Twist offers a variety of kit that help both fit your need and your budge. This month I worked with several of them:

May 2016 "Beach Glass" Main Scrapbook Kit

May 2016 "Beach Glass" Pocket Life Kit

Sprinkles Kit

Embellishment Kit

The kits were so gorgeous I couldn't resist them all! Surely you understand???  If I had to list my top three products they would be the phrase Thickers from Paige Evan's Fancy Free Collection in the Main Scrapbook Kit; the Becky Higgins Project Life Ephemera pack in the Pocket Life Kit; and the flair (also from Becky Higgins) in the Embellishment Kit. I found myself reaching for these again and again!

This first layout features the Main Scrapbook Kit only:

This layout is a 6x8 size but the design could easily be transferred to a bigger layout. Sometimes I find embellishing these smaller sized layouts a little difficult because it is hard not to "overwhelm" the page. The light grey patterned paper helped to keep the page light while still providing contrast to the colorful photo and Thickers.

My second layout is truly a fave. I love the bright combo of yellow and turquoise, but add in a happy cloud and some fun stitching and I am one happy scrapper.

The stitching in this layout is truly a minor detail. All I did was was run my sewing maching in circles--starting tight and then spreading out--but it helped to bring the attention straight to my four year old while also anchoring down the layers of paper underneath. For this layout I combined items from all the kita including the colorful sheet of 6x6 patterned paper from the Pocket Life Kit.

For this last project, I took the wonderful sheet of patterned paper squares and cut them apart to create a border at the top (Does anyone struggle with getting things lined up and straight like I do?? It's a constant challenge for me.)  

I kept the embellishing sweet and simple for this layout.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my projects with you! If you would like to see more inspiration from the other CTK Design Team Members, please make sure and stop by the Gallery!  

Wishing you all a fun weekend full of scrappy goodness!

Michelle

Citrus Twist Kits: April

March for me was a whirl wind of travel and activities and as the end of the month wore down, I was super happy to slow down and play with my new kit from Citrus Twist Kits!

This month, I worked with the April "Citron" Add-On Kit and I had a blast :). My projects came together so easily thanks to the fresh and inspiring colors. Here's a look at the kit:

Awesome, isn't it? Now as much as the bright blue had me excited, it was the yellow and green that really hit the spot and you'll notice the lemon patterned paper shows up in each layout along with the die cuts from We R Memory Keepers.

Now, I am not entirely too sure if lemons go with cacti, but I went with it! The lemon paper is layered underneath the photo, so that just the colors show through.

This next project is a 6x8 layout and when I set out to put it together, I really wanted to feature the green and yellow. The blue sparkely letters added a bright shot of contrast. I also suprised myself with the combination of Thickers AND a stamp (included in the kit) to make the title. 

Finally, I challenged myself to stick strictly to two colors only (plus a neutral) as I put this layout together. Really loved the result!

Now as much as the kit really speaks of spring and sunshine, I didn't scrap a single spring photo! What?! The photos are from Christmas, a February snow day, and a trip to the Feline Conversation Compound near my home--not the typical photos you would think of when you see the kit. I think this really speaks to the versatility of a kit and how you can make a kit work for what you have and for someone (me!) who likes to scrap chronologically this is GREAT. 

For more inspiration, please head on over to the CTK Gallery where the design team has been busy uploading there projects! 

Wishing you a great day!

Michelle

A New Video

Hi all! This past Sunday on the Citrus Twist Kits Blog it was my turn to take on the Sunday Sketch Challenge and because I was feeling adventurous on the day that I made my layout, I got out my camera and filmed my process. Today I want to share that video here:

I sort of have a love/hate relationship with video making at this point. I am still relatively new to the process of video making and there is a huge learning curve, at least for me anyway. Just when I think I have a good handle on it, something new comes my way. My goal is certainly to present a finished product that is top-notch, but I am not quite there yet ;). All I can do is keep making them and work on my skills as I go. So if you don't mind my novice skills, I hope you take the time to have a look at it :).

Michelle

Citrus Twist Kit: February Reveal

I had lots of fun watching all the new releases roll out during CHA on Instagram a few weeks ago and boy was I super excited to see some of the things I was drooling over in my box of February Kits from Citrus Twist! Seeing papers and embellishments from the most recent releases from Crate Paper and Pink Paislee sure made my day :).

This month I worked with both the February Main "Stories" Kit and a part of the Embellishment Kit (due to shipping time frames the design team was unable to have the entire kit) and I am so happy (and so nervous because I am totall newbie) to say that I have an unboxing video to share! Yay!

I created layouts in record time this month and this is due entirely to the fact that I was so excited to work with the stuff--nothing gets my scrappy mojo going like a fresh box of brand new goodies!

This is a fave layout simply because I love the story so much! The blues in the kit were such a great compliment to the photo and I had fun adding in a little bit of pink using the cut apart sheet from Maggie Holme's new Bloom line.

For US, I returned to one of my go-to designs and I even pulled out one of my most loved punches to add a little touch of whimsy. (I love saying "whismy!) One of my favorite things to do is bring back an older design or technique and give it a fresh twist with new products.

Again in this third layout, I really went to town with the blues in the kit. I don't know, but blue is just such a fresh color for me right now. I complimented it with the yellow in the kit and more black and white elements.

For my final project this month, I used a 3x4 card from the cut apart sheet I mentioned earlier and paired it with this picture of my daughter after she successfully made it across the monkey bars. For a change, I mix and matched some word elements for my title. 

Well, there you have it my Citrus Twist projects for February! To see more projects made from this month's kits make sure and head on over to the Citrus Twist Gallery or the blog where we share daily shots of inspiration. You can also find the design team's work on Instagram--just search for #citrustwistkits. 

Michelle

Citrus Twist Kits: December

Hi all! Today I want to share my projects made with the December Kits from Citrus Twist!  This month I actually had a super easy time creating, even with the hectic schedule of the holidays and the round of sickness that made its way through our house, and its all down to how fantastic the kits were!

The kits for this last month of the year are a mix of products from companies such as Crate Paper, Seven Paper, and Basic Grey. That last one-Basic Grey-was a surpise hit for me. I really haven't been too aware of what they released this past year, but every time something of theirs finds its way into a kit, even if it is just paper, it's pretty fantastic. I will definitely have to put them on my radar for the next wave of releases......

As I said earlier, I worked with "kits," which include the Scrapbook Main Kit, Embellishment Kit, Sprinkles Kit, and the Pattern Play #1 Kit. You can see photos of the kits in full HERE.

Now for my projects! Up first is my Main Kit only layout:

This layout was about simple layers and stickers--which are my most used scrapping supply.

There is a little bit of all the kits in this next one, except for the paper clip which is from an older kit. The yellow paisleyish patterned paper is from Basic Grey and I loved it! The yellow gold color is super pretty and made me think of all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books I read growing up!

And yes, my obsession with leaf cut files is still going strong.....

The third and final layout that I am sharing is probably my fave of the bunch and it was the most simple to put together. 

This page was solely inspired by the diecut squares from the new Goldie Collection from Seven Paper. I had them laying out on my work space and as I was looking at them it hit me that they would work perfectly for a recent drive out to the desert that my husband had taken us girls on. I almost stopped mid-layout to jump to this one!

 

Well there you have it, my first three projects using the December Kits from Citrus Twist! As always, thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

Citrus Twist Kits: November Reveal

This past weekend the November Kits at Citrus Twist Kits were revealed and they are beautiful! Here's what the November Main "Happy Lane" Kit looks like:

The color scheme in this kit was right up my alley with the neutrals and pops of yellow and blue. The surprise hit with me this month was the pack of ephemera from Basic Grey's Sunkissed collection--loved every piece of it!

I also worked with the Sprinkles, Embellishment, and Patterned Play #1 Kits--I like having options!  Here are two of my projects that I have created this month:

For more inspiration, make sure and stop by the both the Gallery and the CTK Blog--our design team is a busy one and there is always something new for you to see! 

Have a great day!

Michelle

Citrus Twist: October Reveal

This month at Citrus Twist Kits, I had the opportunity to work with the Main, Embellishment, and Pattern Play Add Ons. The kits are a mix of Pink Paislee's Memorandum, the latest from Dear Lizzy, and B Side from Basic Grey. Today I want to share two of my projects with you!

I went super crazy for the pieces of lavender in the kit! I know I am in the minority in this, but I really like purple and this shade is just so pretty.  I had a really fun time mixing it with the black and woodgrain in this layout. 

For this next layout I introduced more colors from the kits by cutting apart the patterned paper from Pink Paislee's Memorandum that features labels and paired them with the fun floral and some black diecuts from the package of Basic Grey frames.

To make the labels a little bit more interesting I added in washi shapes from the Memorandum collection. The "#lovethis" is actually a strip of washi that I layered over the label. 

I am also super excited to say that I have also contributed to the newest class over at Citrus Twist!

I really went to town when I created my project for this class--major layers going on! And the best part was that I did it all with my left overs from my September Kit. If you're looking for ideas on how to use up your scraps and/or kill a kit, this technique is perfect! 

Wishing you a great week!

Michelle