August Guest Designer - ARTastic Challenge Blog

I'm really excited to be the August Guest Designer over at the ARTastic Challenge Blog!  This monthly Australian blog challenge is super fun, and each month is based on an art piece along with a challenge item.

The art piece this month is by Joshua Miels, and the challenge is black and white plus one.

Even though this piece has a definite mixed media feel to it, I’ve interpreted this into my clean style by including lots of layers.  I’ve followed the artwork closely by using blue as my plus one colour. 

A monochromatic layout isn’t something you usually see in project life spreads, and I was lucky this week that my photos worked with this colour palette really well.  I’ve also interpreted the visual string elements in the inspiration piece to include stitching and some twine in my layout.

Be sure to enter the challenge this month over at the ARTastic Challenge Blog, I'd love to see your creations!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Project Life - Week 22

Is it just me or has anyone else been longingly admiring the Felicity Jane kits?  The postage from the USA to Australia though is crazy, and I'm already subscribing to Citrus Twist Kits so it's really not doable for me to get both.

But I decided to treat myself as a once-off when I saw the Kate kits released.  They truly are gorgeous!

This is my week 22 spread using the Kate kit.  Pink for days in this kit and I love it!

And these gold glitter alphas are the perfect size for project life! {Swoon!!}

Each of the 3x4 cards that come in the kit are backed with a neutral design so that you can use them as the background for journalling cards or even filler cards.  I always love having some kind of background print so this is awesome for me.

This week was a super simple design and came together quickly which doesn't always happen for me, so I was glad to call this week done and get out and enjoy some of the gorgeous winter sunshine we've been having lately!

Thanks for dropping by today.

Citrus Twist Kits - 3 to Inspire!

Hi Everyone!  I hope you're week's gotten off to a great start!

I finished up the project life spreads that I wanted to get out of my May Citrus Twist Kits on the weekend, but I had a few bits and pieces left over, so I'm playing along with the 3 to Inspire challenge over at the Citrus Twist Blog this week.

The prompts this week are:

1. Use one punch two ways
2. Add layers
3. Use a neutral background

For the full challenge post and to see Michelle's inspiration piece, head over to the CTK blog.

And here's my take on the challenge!

I've created a traveller's notebook spread about my favourite treat for morning tea at one of our regional shopping centres.  I've also included a bit of a backstory with just another example of my hubby's and my 101 personality differences.  We love each other more than anything, but gosh we're like chalk and cheese!

I've ticked off the neutral background prompt by using a white background, and added layers with patterned papers, cut apart labels and some die cut and fussy cut ephemera pieces.

For the final prompt of using one punch two ways I've dug out one of my favourite butterfly punches from my stash.  The first way to use it is pretty simple, just punch a butterfly and use it in a cluster by my photo.

To use the same punch a second way, I've first punched another butterfly in the same paper, but this time I want to use the negative of the butterfly.    So I've pulled out a circle punch, centred the butterfly and punched it out! 

You can see below I've backed this negative butterfly with some kraft cardstock and layered it on the right side of the spread.

It was so much fun playing along with this challenge this week!  If you have a chance to join in be sure to share your entry to the CTK Facebook Fan Page, on Instagram by tagging @citrustwistkits or in the CTK gallery.

Thanks for stopping by today!

When you need specialist stitches...

Some weeks just don't go as planned, and this was one of those weeks for Brent and Soph.  I don't often record memories that aren't happy memories, but this is one of those things that I think we'll all look back on in the (not too distant) future and have a chuckle about.  Basically Brent and Soph collided while mucking about, and Soph had to seek medical treatment.   I love that they phoned me as soon as it happened to get Mum's advice... and the snapchat photo I got a little while later to reassure me that they were doing okay.

The "it's been a long week" journalling card from the May Citrus Twist Pocket Life kit fits this story perfectly.  The May kits include exclusive puffy stickers and I've used one of the teeny tiny stars to select the day of the week on the card.

To create this custom filler card I used one of the Elle's Studio cards from the Add On kit and layered pieces of one of the branding strips of 12x12 patterned papers in the same kit.  I really loved the floral pattern on another of the Elle's Studio cards, and used that to die cut this sweet bow from. Then I just adhered and stitched an ephemera piece to finish the card.

This spread was starting to feel a little busy to me by now so I kept the right page fairly clean.  I used one of the journalling cards from the PL kit, another piece of the branding strip from earlier, and one of the cut-apart pieces to finish this card.

One final little cluster and I called this week done!

Thanks for dropping by today friends, I hope your week is going well!

Citrus Twist Kits July Guest Designer!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I'm a huge (like, massive!) fan of Citrus Twist Kits.  I adore their kits and subscribe to the Pocket Life kit, and pretty much always pop the Add On kit in my basket each month too!

Today I'm super excited to share that I'm the July Guest Designer for CTK!! 

The July kits are now live in the CTK store, and are absolutely stunning.  If you're a fan of bright spring-time colours and pops of cornflower blue, rose pink and of course some gold foil thrown in, you're going to adore the Pocket Life kit!

If you're thinking of starting a subscription, now is the perfect time to sign up, because if you quote JODIEKGUEST when you subscribe, you get 25% off your first kit in any new Scrapbooking, Pocket Life or Gracebox subscription!

I'm also up on the CTK blog today with a little bit about me, and a tour of my scrap space.  I'd love for you to pop by to check it out, and can I just say, I had no idea I had so much Ikea furniture in my scrap room haha!

Thanks for stopping by today.

A Project Life Share - Week 16!

Hi lovely blog friends!

Today I'm sharing week 16 for 2017 in my 6x8 project life album, and I'm using the May Citrus Twist Kits Pocket Life and Add On kits. 

This week is a total contrast in colour palette from my week 15 spread.  Where it revolved around neutrals and pastels, this week is anything but!

I've pulled three different shades each of blue and green for this spread.  

The May kits feature papers and embellishments from Shimelle's Little by Little collection, and I love   the bespoke and hand-drawn feel to the graphics in this collection.  Take this lovely vintage key for example.

To create this filler card I fussy cut the journalling bracket from one of the 12 x 12 papers in the Little by Little collection, printed the simple quote on my trusty printer, then added some stitching and a few extra ephemera pieces.  You can see the fussy cut piece before I adhered it to the navy filler card, on my Instagram feed.

The May Add On kit features journalling tags from the Elle's Studio Live Laugh Love collection.  I initially stamped a phrase through the hearts at the top of the card, but wasn't happy with how that turned out, so I just placed a puffy sticker over the top!

I've also edge punched one of the branding strips from a 12 x 12 patterned paper in the kits and adhered it over the bottom row of journalling dots for a pretty border.

I have to say that the Citrus Twist Kits exclusives in the past couple of months kits are fabulous!  Both of these label die cuts and the sweet puffy sticker are new CTK exclusives, love them!

I hope you're having a great week, and thanks so much for stopping by today!

Jumping in to Traveller's Notebooks!

I've been watching the growing interest in traveller's notebooks in the scrapping community for a little while, and lately have been really wanting to make a start on this different type of album.

I really love their size overall, and that each layout is in such a small format (about 11.5 x 21.5cm).

You may have seen my post on Instagram a couple of weeks back sharing my two favourite purchases from the Brisbane Scrapbook Expo... some traveller's notebook supplies from Michelle at The Samp Spot, and lots of gorgeous papers and embellishments from Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

I had a little time to play on the weekend and have created a cover for my notebook.  This album will be just for layouts about me and my two sisters.  I don't plan on finishing it front to back straight up, but will be able to come back to it and add another sisters' layout whenever I feel like it!

A little insight to the name of the album - our sisters' Facebook group is called Sisterhood, so this is just a play on that, Sisterhood Memories!  

I haven't read too much about what adhesives other crafters are using in their traveller's notebooks, but for me I just used some Glossy Accents and made sure it was smoothed right to the edge of the notebook when adhering the patterned paper for the cover.  I didn't fold any extra paper over the edges, just trimmed it to match the size of the cover.

And so that's a start on my faux Midori traveller's notebook!  I just need to add some journalling to my first layout inside and can share that as well.

If you're already an experienced TNer I'd love to hear any tips, tricks or your fave techniques for these sweet little albums!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sunday Afternoon Vibes

You know when you hit a patch in your life that is crazy busy, even when there's no real reason for it, it just happens?

That's where I'm at at the moment, and I think this week's super clean and simple layout is my mind unconsciously saying, hey, just lets keep things simple, there's too much clutter going on in your head right now!

This week I've jumped into my Citrus Twist Kits May Pocket Life and Add on kits, and I love them even more than I usually do.  There are some gorgeous elements with lots of colour happening, (think Shimelle's Little by Little collection), but at the same time I was able to pull a very neutral colour palette this week. 

I loved the clean look of this journalling card, and the only embellishment I added other than a little printed journalling was one of the wood veneers in the kit, from Elle's Studio.

I've also added an extra patterned paper insert with a punched edge, just to add a some more interest this week.  I wasn't expecting such a dramatic difference to the look of the spread when that tiny insert is turned, but I love how different it looks on one hand when the pastel orange side is showing compared with the white side.

Citrus Twist are starting to include more exclusive product in their kits, and their new ephemera packs are awesome.  Both ephemera pieces on this journalling grid card are exclusives in the pocket life kit this month, and are just the perfect size for project life!

Did I mention exclusives!? How about these super thin wood veneer words and puffy stickers <3

My 6x8 album for the first half of 2017 is starting to fill up now.  I always love when it gets to this stage in an album and you really feel like you have memories recorded in there.  

Thanks for stopping by today!

The End of the Rainbow!

This week I've done something I don't often do, and that's cover just one event for the week... but it was a pretty momentous event, with our daughter graduating from uni!  It really does feel like she's reached the end of a rainbow.

Brent travelled to be there to share Kayci's big day, so all four of us were together and it was a great opportunity for some family photos.

Believe it or not Brent and I actually did not plan coordinating outfits at all ha!

One of the stamps in the April Citrus Twist Kits Pocket Life kit was the "End of the Rainbow". So fitting for this spread!  I've just stamped it right over the cloud and rain filler card.

This is the spread from the other side of the insert.

To create this custom filler card I've trimmed out a tag from white cardstock and embossed it with a Dear Lizzy embossing folder from my stash.  Then layered up some patterned paper, tulle, an ephemera piece and puffy sticker from the kit.  

By the time I remembered I wanted to add some twine to my tag I'd already stitched it down... so that wasn't going to happen haha.  But I just compromised, tied a bow and adhered it to the top of the tag with some glossy accents. You'd never know my little mistake right?!

I just get so excited if I find a pretty bicycle in a collection!  This one from Dear Lizzy's Lovely Day ephemera pack is so super cute (did you know this ephemera pack has ROSE GOLD foil pieces... yumm!!!).  The bicycle was too big to fit on my 3x4 card so I just trimmed off what didn't fit.

Some more perfect elements to suit Kayci's graduation no?  The Life's Dream stamp and Big News puffy sticker are just perfect phrases this week.

And finally I had a bit of fun layering up this filler card with some ephemera pieces and tags, and that wraps up week 14!

Thanks for stopping by today!