Life Crafted with Candace

Hello CTK friends!  It is the beginning of February which means a new kit!  I have to say this just may be my favorite kit! There are so many fantastic goodies this month!  I think my favorites are all the sentiments on the 3x4 and 4x6 cards and the puffy hearts.  Take a look at the unboxing video below.  I can't wait to hear what your favorite pieces are this month.

I was so inspired by all the goodies in this month's kit I got started creating right away!  I created two pages for my Life Crafted album.  Here is a peek at the first page.

I loved the big tag in the February kit and all the sentiments about "being enough".  I chose to play off the tag shape and create a two page spread all about me.  I added a bit of ink and distressing to both the tags to connect the colors across the spread.

Next, I printed out a large picture for the left side of the spread.  I created lots of layers with paper, doily, die cuts and chipboard.  I love the textures and layers created and the interest it creates.

On the right side of the spread, after I added a bit of ink and distressing, I ran the tag through my typewriter to add journaling.  To finish the tag I added a paper border and die cut on the bottom along with ribbon and a tag from the ephemera pack. 

For my second page I created a two page summer spread.  I was so inspired by all the bright and beautiful colors that I wanted to play with some fun pool photos. 

I printed out a bunch of square photos in different sizes and colors and placed them around the spread.  I backed the large photos with some 6x8 patterned paper from the kit.  More bright colors!

The fun acetate circles were the perfect touch to the fun photos.  I love the added pop of color and interest.  As I said earlier, I LOVE the puffy heart stickers so I just had to add them to the spread. 

I am so excited to keep creating with the February kit.  What are you excited to play with?  What memories and moments will you capture this month? 

Have a beautiful day!

In My Studio - Desk space

Hello CTK friends!  This month the Pocket Life Team are sharing some photo's and details about the most important area when we create - our desk space! :)

My office area is definitely my happy place, and while it is rarely as clean as it is in these photos, I do try to stay as organized as possible so I can find everything I need when I'm working on projects.  The desk on the right is one that I've had for around 6 years and while it did a great job serving as my only crafting work surface for many years I did find myself shuffling everything around a lot, which was a bit frustrating at times. Earlier this year I took the plunge and got myself a second desk from Ikea, which is a bit larger than the first.  My favorite thing about this desk is that it can be adjusted in height.  While I prefer to craft while sitting, sometimes its easier to film videos while standing.  Now I can do both!

On my desk I like to keep some containers with my essential tools like scissors, tiny attacher, paper trimmer, adhesive, rulers, stamping blocks, pens and pencils, etc.  Keeping these things within reach is super helpful when I'm working on a project.  I also like to keep a small basket with kits that I'm currently working with on my desk so I use these products first.  I try to use up as much product as I can from these kits before moving the leftovers over to my stash.

I also have a little extension to my desk in this rolling cart that I picked up from Michaels.  This cart holds most of my embellishments, and I love that I can roll it from one desk to the other when I need to.  On top of this cart I keep other essentials that I'm constantly grabbing for, like my inks and project life cards.

I'm one of those people whose desk needs to be clean at all time, otherwise I can't seem to function! I have a lot of little cups, bowls and dishes so I can tidy everything away after I finish working on each project (although there is always an empty coffee cup or two lying around! I've got my computer, printer and Silhouette Cameo all set up and ready to go whenever the mood strikes me. The shelves above my desk store all my most used alphas and embellishments, my DIY camera set up for process videos, as well as all my notebooks, planners and finished Traveler's Notebooks!

As you can see, my Desk isn't very big. I love it when it's cleaned. I can't work if there's a lot of extra stuff on the table. All tools and embellishments are stored in the drawers of the table.

My family recently moved and this new space has been so fun to arrange! I make sure my desk has lots of available space to begin projects and so I can get messy and spread out when needed. 

Something that's super helpful in all of my desk spaces has been having my favorite supplies and embellishments out so I can see them. If things are tucked away, I just won't use them. I use a large muffin tin for small paper embellishments and it's so handy to be able to dig through to find what I need. 

I also recently began keeping a dish of my most used stamps on my desktop because I was constantly reaching for the same 4x6 stamp over and over but only using that one. I'm not sure if I will like the messiness of this forever but it sure is fun for now. 

Thanks for hanging out in my new space. I hope to create inspiring projects here!

Welcome to my desk space!  We recently moved so I am still organizing all my fun goodies, but I am already in love with the bright space.  I love the light grey walls and the bright light that comes through my window.  Having a clean, organized space helps me create stress free.  I love the huge vintage bankers desk with lots of drawers, pockets and storage compartments.  I like that everything is close at hand so I can create without even getting up.  I even have a Diet Coke close at hand, (a crafty must have)!

What does your desk space look like? We would love to see/hear (just share a post on the Facebook Fanpage!).

Is there anything you would like to see from our "In My Studio" posts? Please leave a comment below and we'll be sure to include it in the future!

Sunday Sketch- Candace

Hello my beautiful CTK friends!  I am so excited to be with you today sharing a little Sunday inspiration with the September kit along with the Sunday sketch.  I usually work with pocket pages so I was so happy to work on a full page layout!  Here is a look at the sketch for today.

I love working with sketches!  It helps the layout come together in a snap! Working with a good template helps boost my creativity and helps me think out of my normal scrapbooking box.  I liked that in this sketch the focal point was a big cluster of papers, embellishments and photos! Here is a look at my final layout using the sketch as inspiration.

I choose various papers from the kit that coordinated and created a nice soft looking spread to match the theme of my photos.  I adore the papers from the Maggie Holmes Willow Lane collection and they made the pregnancy pictures of my sister look so feminine and beautiful! Even down to the flowers!

I used this month's digital cut file to create the beautiful lattice work behind the photos.  I love the detail and softness it brings to the spread.  What is so great about digital files is that they can be manipulated to fit any type of project.

To add to the detail and texture of the spread I added stitching to a few spots around the spread. 

 My final touch was a little repeated stamping.  So cute!

I can't wait to put this in a frame for my sister to add to the decor in her nursery.  What a special memory... and it all started with a sketch. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!  I can't wait to see how this sketch inspires you to tell your stories!