Citrus Twist Kits: Life Crafted Album & Love Stories Kit!

Hi  Friends!

Welcome back for more Citrus Twist Kits inspiration!

 Boy oh boy, have I been having tons of fun with my new Life Crafted Album!

The new February Life Crafted Kit - Love Stories - is all kinds of awesomeness! From pretty pattern papers to the divine ephemera & even the acetate shapes, this kit has my heart!

But enough chatter, let's take a lil looksee into my album.....

Missed my first post with the opening "Getting Started" pages? 

You can check it out here.

Here's the next installment...

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted January Fresh Starts Kit & die cut ephemera from February Love Stories Kit. 

This month I have been able to really embrace how Life Crafted is going to work for me & my stories! You'll see that I have now divided my album into 3 key sections: A Beautiful Life - memory keeping & story telling, Give Yourself Time - dedicated to self care and personal growth, & Random Thoughts - fun, random bits n pieces from daily life, as well as a bit of creative play. It's kinda like 3 albums in one, which will grow & develop as the year unfolds. I used my January Fresh Starts Kit for this, and then continue to mix and match the two kits because the kits have been so beautifully curated that everything coordinates together perfectly! 

My album will be an eclectic mix of scrapbook pages, pocket pages, traveler's notebook spreads and all things in between! Ultimately, it will become a beautiful mini album that reflects me & my stories! Perfect! 

Here's a few pages from my A Beautiful Life section.....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit, Life Crafted Album - black. 

This IS my why! Such a treasured memory, & so beautifully documented. Love the soft color palette & the gold foil accents. On the left hand side of my album, I have a more traditional scrapbook style page with lots of pretty layers & embellishments. I trim the pattern paper to a 5" x 8" size, and hole punch the side so it fits into my ringed binder. To the right, I have created a more TN / pocket style page - doing things my way & loving how it looks! 

The stamps included in the Love Stories Kit are amazing! I use them subtly on both pages. 

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit, January Life Crafted Fresh Starts 6" x 8" Pattern Paper.

How awesome are these TN style pages?! Love This, indeed! Documenting the everyday moments never looked so good! Here's how it fits into my album...

Yes, This!!! 

For these pages, I mostly used the February Love Stories Kit, but I also added in the powder blue pattern paper from the January Kit. The 3" x 4" cards were perfect for these fun photos of my husband, son & new puppy - just look at the facial expression on my son, hear the love, indeed! The die cut acetate shapes in this month's kit are such a fabulous edition too! 

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit, black puffy alphas from the January Kit. 

Nawww! Another wonderful moment documented! So sweet!

I have mixed up my memory keeping style again & I have to say, I am having so much fun! The 5" x 8" title page is a fave of mine, & I love the mix of the January black puffy alphabet stickers with the February ephemera & acetate shapes! 

Here's a close up of my TN style page...

Isn't this darling?!!

I loved the bold colors, but as most of my album will be soft & full of pastel pretties, I used plain white paper as my base. The white helps to balance the yellow & red, and adds a 'clean' look to the page. 

Best part, it looks gorgeous and I documented it in minutes! Life Crafted is fitting memory keeping into my busy life! LOVE!

Next up, my Give Yourself Time feature....

For my opening page,  I use a clear vellum overlay which I embellish with the you've totally got this ephemera & a puffy heart sticker from the Love Stories Kit. But it's what's underneath that has me....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted January Fresh Starts Kit. 

Ga ga gorgeous! Nothing says self care like encouraging affirmations! That pattern paper is totally swoon worthy! 

Over the page, you'll see more from the February kits....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit

Each month the Life Crafted kits include an exclusive 3" x 8" book mark & this month's was perfect for my self care album! I embellished mine with die cut ephemera & acetate shapes as well as foiled chipboard & puffy sticker hearts! (All are from the Love Stories Kit). 

Peeking behind the book mark is a pocket page affirmation....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit

Sigh! SO pretty & so heartfelt! A little reminder to self kinda page! 

Tip: To keep the dimension of the die cut butterfly wings, I adhere the butterfly onto the outside of the pocket, not onto the paper. This prevents bulging, out of shape pockets and looks just as effective. 

Also in my 'me' section, I am trying to document more of lil' 'ole me....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit. 

Nawww, puppy love & evening beach walks! My best Summer, right here! This makes my heart happy!

As the month's progress, so will my stories & self care - but oddly enough, I have already created the closing page to this part of my album.....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit

As soon as I saw the I AM ENOUGH label, I knew I wanted use it for the closing page of my Give Yourself Time album. I foam mount it onto a pretty pink label,& that divine floral paper. Pretty! I also add one last reminder to self...Breathe! Those gold puffy alphas are errrrrything!

And last, but by no means least, here's a very quick peek into my Random Thoughts part of the album.....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit

How fun is this?! Bright, colorful & creative play! Love it! 

And there you have it! 

Life Crafted  - my album, my stories, my way! 

If you're keen to hear more of the how-to, tips & tricks on crafting my album, join me in this quick album walk through video HERE

https://youtu.be/qOcmtKgymv0

I hope you enjoy watching and please press the subscribe button for future inspiration! 

Thanks so much for joining me today, 

I hope I have given you some ideas for how to use your Life Crafted Album & Kits! 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo

Paper Issues: 52 Friday Favorites Journaling Project!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Paper Issues awesomeness & memory keeping inspiration!
Today I am sharing a peak into my 

52 Friday Favorites pocket album!

 52 Friday Favourites is our year long journaling project. 

Simply choose something each week to document; photos, fave moments, lists - the possibilities are endless! 

And the best part -  you can start this challenge TODAY! 

Yep, it doesn't have to be a full 52 weeks. 

Just jump on in and start recording one thing a week! Yay! 

SO.much.fun!!!

To be completely honest with you, I love pocket page scrapping but...
 I NEVER complete more than one month before giving up, lol!

52 Friday Favourites works better for me as it's only one thing a week
& to make it even easier,
 I am using a pocket size notebook 3.5" x 5"
This not only looks awesome,
 but also makes it so much quicker for me to play along each week!

But enough chatter,
here's a peak into my album thus far....

52 Friday Faves

Here's what my album looks like!

 It's a Pink Paislee C'est La Vie mini notebook and you can find it in the store HERE

So cute! (& it fits inside my pocket size Filo - perfect!)

Cover page using cute Alphas from the store.

I am also using a combination of Pink Paislee and Cocoa Vanilla Studio products to create this album with! They seem to partner perfectly, but you be the judge!

Here's my weekly entries.....

 Week 1



A super cute out take and yes, face palm from mister 5!

Week 2

Summer nights spent playing at the beach.

Week 3

 More beach fun! (It was Summer in Australia)

Week 4

Vacay vibes and theme park fun!

Week 5

This was a big week for my momma bear heart! 

Mister A for awesome started school & Miss M turned 12!!!!

Week 6 

Hanging out at the Festival Theatre with my fave guy!

Week 7 

My beautiful tiny danseur performing!

Week 8 

Yep, more beach time! 

Week 9 

Lol... more beautiful beach days! 

It's Autumn now, but we still try to visit the beach daily until Winter hits!

Week 10

Another hot Autumn day, so keeping cool after school!

And there you have it!

My version of the 52 Friday Favorites challenge! 

I am a big fan of letting my photos tell the story.

I also like to keep my journaling private - so it's often hidden or kept to a minimum.

Sweet, simple and already a mini album to treasure!

Follow me on instagram @happy_arty_days to see my next installments ;)

What does (or will) your take on this fun challenge look like?

Visit our Paper Issues Friends & Fans Facebook group HERE

for more inspirational ideas 

AND to upload your entries too!

*Every new entry gives you the chance to win our monthly prize!*

Need supplies before you get started?

Visit the Paper Issues store HERE

& REMEMBER: Use code AMANDA & you'll save 20% off your total spend! Yayyy!!!

I can't wait to see you 52 Friday Favorites!

Are you on instagram? 

Tag  @paperissues & use the hashtags #paperissues and #52Fridayfaves so we can find you and share the love!

We may even feature your projects! 

So what are you waiting for! 

Have some scrap happy time for yourself!

Thanks for stopping by today, 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: You're Awesome You ROCK!!!

Hi Everyone!

Boy-oh-boy have I been hanging out to share my first layout with the totally awesome boy collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio: You ROCK!

This collection is just so much fun & I couldn't wait to use it for my Mr A for Awesome! But enough chatter, let's get straight into the good stuff!

Here's my layout,

"You're Awesome You ROCK"

Isn't this the coolest?!!
 The You ROCK collection is just so incredibly awesome that I just had to use it all in the one layout! Yep, you read correctly! 
You'll spy at least one of every item from the line on this page! 
The circular design really lends itself to embellishing and WHOA! Doesn't just scream fun?!!

Moving away from that mixed media feast and circle sensation for just a moment, you'll notice that I introduced small trianlges into the page design too. There's a method to my madness here!  
I've used a whole lotta stars for embellishment, and stars have very sharp angles which contrast against the circle design. By adding the opposing corner triangles to my layout, I've created balance and a little unity between both geometric shapes. It creates a more natural flow for the eye. 
I've used WASHI STICKERS and foam mounted patterned paper, CV-YR005 NIGHT SKY to achieve this look.

Back to that awesome circle now.....

Let's start at the center!

How fabulous is that Wood Veneer title?!
 From the rockstar font to the boldness of the size; this veneer means business! Let's get loud and shout it out! LOVE it!!! 
You'll see that I've mounted my title onto a foam taped, old school View Master film from the DIE CUT EPHEMERA packet. I love that it's been printed to look like a misted newspaper, and practice target - so cool! It really makes my title pop and be the central focal point for this design! 
There's a super cool CHIPBOARD STICKER arrow beneath it all directing your eye into my photo next....

With such a big impact title I kept my photo small, simple,  as well as black & white, to contrast all the other page elements. I've layered my photo with both sides of the patterned paper CV-YR005 NIGHT SKY, a tab ACCESSORY STICKER, the RAD RUBBER CHARM,  and even a strip of the WASHI STICKERS to support it. To the lower right hand side of my photo, I've also embellished with that Awesome FLAIR BUTTON, some black cotton from my stash, and another terrific DIE CUT EPHEMERA piece.
 Here's a closer look......

That's My Boy, indeed! SO cool! 
Check out those stars and ENAMEL SHAPES too!!!

Some of the stars in my circle are fussy cut from the pattern paper CV-YR001 STARSHINE, others are DIE CUT EPHEMERA, ACCESSORY STICKERS, CHIPBOARD STICKERS and even RUBBER CHARMS! 
(I warned you - I had to use ALL the things! )

Here's another look at the circular design and all those stars.....

Even the arrow has it's own star! Such a bold and playful collection! Loving it all!

And I can't go past that banner RUBBER CHARM!!! How incredible! It forms the first part of my title, and I LOVE it! It's mounted onto a small WASHI STICKER strip for a lil extra highlight!

Total Awesomeness!!!

And there you have it! 
My first creation with the super cool You ROCK collection! 
Hope I have inspired you to get creating with it too!

Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment - it really means so much!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 
Amanda xo