January at Citrus Twist Kits

I finally seem to be about over the January crud (otherwise known as bronchitis) and am getting back to all things scrappy - YAY!  Last Friday I unpacked my January Citrus Twist kit box and boy was it pretty.  I had the scrapbook main, the add-on, both patterned paper add-ons and the sprinkles kit to play with (and a couple of shop extras).  In between naps, I cranked out three layouts I really loved.

The first one was based on a Citrus Twist sketch and gave me a chance to layer lots of the patterned papers I found in my box.  The papers are bright and fun and perfect for holding off the winter blues.

Here's the sketch I started with.....

And here's the layout I ended up with.  I chose a photo of my son with out cat from his holiday visit for my layout.  He had a tough semester at school and was pretty down on himself when he got home.  But he and Taffy have long had a special bond and she spent lots of time cuddling with him - a definite mood lifter!  And since she is getting old, I wanted to take the opportunity to document their relationship.

I chose the bright yellow paper to serve as the main block in my layout and added other papers on top and behind it to capture the elements in the sketch and create some dimension.  But the photo block seemed to float awkwardly on the base paper (a Citrus Twist exclusive - I loved the grid with pink splats), so I added a branding strip from the bottom of one of the papers.  It really seemed to anchor the photo block and from their the layout came together quickly. 

The Heidi Swapp wood veneer word came that pretty aqua color and was perfect for my layuot.  A few die cuts, some puffy stickers and some ink splats and the layout was done.

I will be sharing at least 3 other layouts using these kits this week - I hope you'll come back and check them out.  In the meantime, have a great Sunday.

December Daily 2015

This is the third year that I am trying to put together a December Daily album.  The 2014 album is in the basement - all the pages are done and it just needs photos (maybe a project for 2016).  The 2015 album is on my desk and just needs to have a few pages done (definitely a project for 2016).  But I think this is the year I will finish an album during (or close to) the holiday season.

I think one reason I struggle with the project is because I don't really do much pocket scrapbooking.  I have a hard time acheiving balanced pages.  So this year I decided to do a two page spread for each day - a 6x8 layout and one pocket page.  I am hoping this layout will make the process more comfortable for me. 

I also took the time to make foundation pages ahead of time (starting with Thanksgiving and ending on January 1).  The idea never made sense to me since I didn't know what we would be doing each day.  But I thought I would take a lesson from the experts and give it a try this year.  Maybe that is the secret to finishing the project.

So that just left choosing an album.  I originally wanted to use the pink and gold album from the SevenPaper Clara collection - but I couldn't find page protectors.  So I bought the Studio Calico South of Market handbook from a few years ago - I thought the grey herringbone design would provide a great canvas for a fun cover.   In the end I had both albums and couldn't choose.  My family was split. 

I finally went with the pink album because I thought it would be harder to use on another project.  The gold deer is from Heidi Swapp and the acrylic title and stars are from Colorcast Designs .  (You have to check out their website - seriously drool-worthy). 

So now I just have to make an effort to take and print photos regularly - if I do that, this album should finish itself, right?

If you have any tricks for finishing a December Daily album, I'd love to hear them.  I'll be keeping you posted on my progress this month.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Baby Collection For My Teenager

My baby is going to be 16 this month.  So when the Citrus Kit add-on featured the newest baby collection from SevenPaper (Clara) I thought it was something that I could pass on. 

But it turns out - I couldn't really resist the kit.  Included some products from other lines that weren't so themed, the b sides of the papers were generally very versatile, I loved the phrase stickers and who could pass up those amazing vellum star die cuts.  And it turns out that some of the first products I used from my Citrus Twist November kits were from that add-on.

I started with the November 15th sketch at Stuck?! Sketches.

As usual, my layout seemed to take on a life of its own.  I started with an idea that was pretty close to the sketch, but the elements that stood out to me were the horizontal layers under the phtoo and the embellishment clusters.  And I ended up here.

 But I think that is why I love sketches so much - they provide a ton of inspiration and give you lots of room for creativity.

The stars, the text paper, and both the pink and white phrase stickers all came from that baby themed kit.  And they were perfect for this homecoming dance photo of my daughter and her friends.  (I love that she is willing to share photos she and her friends take so that I can include them in her albums.) 

So don't forget to check out those baby products - you might be missing out on something that is perfect for your next project.

Thanks for stopping by.

Using Old Rub Ons

Rub-ons are one of my favorite embellishments.  But sometimes I keep them too long.  (You know - saving them for the perfect project).  And then they crack or some of the images stick to the paper backing that is supposed to protect them.  I hadn't had this package of Amy Tangerine rub-ons that long - but when  opened them they looked like a supply I had hoarded too long.

 But these were really pretty and I am a frugal scrapbooker - I hate throwing away any supplies.  So I used them to make a fun background for this layout.

 First I created the two photo blocks and attached them to the base paper.  Then I added gold and teal ink splatters - cause I can't make a layout with splatters.  I used a couple of rub-ons for another package that were still in good shape to start to build the backgournd.  Other embellishments went next.  Then I randomly place the sheet of damaged rubons on the layout (trying to create a connection between the two photo blocks) and added bits of color and pattern.  I didn't worry about overlapping the rub-ons with themselves or with ink splatters.  The title went next.

And there you have it - a beautiful mixed media background using supplies that were headed for the trash.