Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Clique Kits Launch a huge success! We had such a blast finding out more about our followers and friends both old and new.  It was really fun giving away prizes all day and experiencing the building excitement for Debutante-our first kit to be released in April! As of now there are still subscriptions available- but given the momentum of the past week I really encourage you to hurry and join the Clique before we are sold out! We are so appreciative of everyone who took the time out of their day to show love and support. All of you who have signed up already will be receiving your thank you gifts, and without further ado...

Samantha Reed- Chalk It Up Prize Kit
Jenn Bennett- Lucky Charm Prize Kit
Rosann Santos-Elliott-Gone Typo Prize Kit

Thanks to everyone who subscribed to our monthly kit club and our newsletter and blog, followed us on Instagram and Pinterest, and liked Clique Kits on Facebook. We truly appreciate you! Have a wonderful weekend! Gia will be back tomorrow with more inspiration from the Art Studio here on the blog!

-xThe Clique Kits Gals

We are back again to show you a little taste of what we have in store for subscribers this April. Clique Kits is very proud to introduce...

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With a vibrant color palette of greyscale, pinks, yellow, orange, and aqua, as well as icons like cameras, doodles, and brush script typography, Debutante is going to be so much fun to create with! It shouts out "Spring" which, like the Clique Kits debut is going to be a welcome change for most after a grueling winter! Even though "she" is the belle of the ball, you may be able to guess who our Designer in the Spotlight is. If so, you know that the featured collection was planned with a little boy in mind! We promise that it will inspire all co-eds and works for any theme-including everyday documenting life type layouts.  So tell us what you think of Debutante, and make sure you are a subscriber to ensure you will not be left out in the cold. Ground hog seeing his shadow or not-April is just around the corner!
--xThe Clique Kits Gals

We can hardly believe that launch day is finally here! Us Clique Kits gals have been planning for months, ordering products for some fantastic kits, and now the moment has arrived! We are ready to take on subscribers! Head over to our store to subscribe today, if you subscribe by midnight tonight you will be entered in to our Launch Day Sweepstakes. Not only are we are giving away 3 great prize kits, but we also have some thank you gifts for ALL of our early bird subscribers. 

We don't stop there! Please stop by and follow our Facebook and Instagram for more options to share and win! Of course you won't leave this blog post empty handed. A free printable set is available for you to download and use today (and everyday) on all your scrapbooking and paper crafting projects! (Click on the image below to download).

Today's Events:

• Getting Social: Join us throughout the day for interactive fun on Facebook with Clique Kits . There will be prizes to give away all day long! Stop by and "Like" our page while you are there!
• Subscriber Sweepstakes!  Clique Kits is randomly selecting 3 lucky prize winners from the list of everyone who subscribes through midnight tonight (February 14th.)
• Thank you GIFTS for subscribing on or before launch day.
          First 10 receive a CK Logo canvas tote bag.
          First 20 receive a CK re-usable embellishment storage/organizer.
          First 20 receive a CK sequin sampler and roll of washi tape.

Now, how is that for a launch day!?! What are you waiting for? Head over to the store to start your subscription!  Check back here often through the end of February as we will be sharing inspiration, chatting on the forum, and getting our featured brand new Simple Stories products listed in the store ready to ship next week! The first kit will start April 2014 and sneak peeks are coming soon! Welcome to the Clique!

I cannot believe how excited I am. After many months of spending all of our extra-curricular time planning and scheming, the Clique Kits gals are finally seeing our dream become a reality!  Our first few kits are designed, ordering is well underway, and now it is time to party!

The Clique Kits Prom Committee has put together a fantastic launch day event for our friends and (we hope!) future members of the Clique. Here is a general overview of the day:

Here on the Blog: Lacey will be posting another set of her fabulous and FREE printables for you to download and use in any number of projects. We will also have a sweepstakes on the blog and multiple prize kits to give away. Your Clique Kits subscription is your ticket. (Don't worry, if you have already subscribed, you are automatically entered already!) 

We have Clique Kits logo tote bags to give away to the first 10 subscribers! 
They are made of natural canvas, and will help you keep track of your kit contents for the month or help you bring your kit when scrapping on the go!  They are the perfect size for 12 x 12 paper, your basic tools, and your embellishment organizer! Yup, that's the other thing we have ready for the first 20 subscribers!  As scrapbooking and paper crafting fanatics ourselves, the Clique Kits gals know how scrappers love to hoard supplies. If you worry about  your fabulous kit embellishments getting swallowed up in your craft  space not to be found when you want to play along with all of the inspiration we will be posting on the blog- don't worry. We've got you covered!

Last but not least, we will be blowing up Facebook all day with giveaways every other hour! Make sure you "Like" our fan page and fix your Facebook setting to make sure you can read our notifications all day long. There will be fun questions and opportunities to win these great prizes:

Erica will be your hostess with the mostest on Facebook all day February 14th with the rest of the Clique Kits gals popping in to participate! In addition, Jody has some prizes for you-but she is keeping the details closely guarded…you will have to make sure you are following Clique Kits on Pinterest , Instagram, and Twitter to be sure you will not miss  the bonus prize from Jody.

You may be wondering at this point when you are going to get a peek at an actual Clique Kits monthly kit. Like I said, as fellow paper crafting addicts the Clique Kits gals have already anticipated your curiosity in this regard. While we don't want to be spoilers and reveal too much to you about what we have in store for the April Kit, we are preparing a sneak peek for you for Launch Day. So be there, or be square!!

How do you subscribe to Clique Kits to make sure you secure a space for the first cycle?  It's all up and running on the website- simply click on the "Store" tab and the "Subscribe" button will enable you to set up a monthly auto payment via Paypal. Don't worry, your payments won't begin until March for the April Kit. Then you will automatically be paying for each successive month's kit without having to worry about checking your email for an invoice, or trying to make sure you grab your kit the minute a new kit posts or risk missing out. Easy peasy! 

Did we mention that we know you are going to love our kits?  By now you may have a feel for the Clique Kits 'style' and the variety and versatility the kits will have.  If you have any questions or concerns after reading our Subscriber Agreement do not hesitate to ask us!  We hope to see you Friday! (Or you can beat the rush and subscribe now…you won't miss out on any of the Launch Day sweepstakes by being an early bird!)
--x The Clique Kits Gals

I thought this "paint sample" looking paper was very cool for the background and could almost capture Hannah's eye color which goes between hazel and grey.  Next I used a few larger scraps I had left over from previous projects, the small floral and the pink dots to start creating my photo mat.  Before I actually tape or glue anything down, I place my photo and papers about where I think I want them.  This is by no means an exact science!!  I liked how these papers all worked well together because they pulled colors from the other papers.  You can see the aqua blues and the pink in the pretty floral and they just 'work'. 

To start my layering process, I have an important play in my playbook - DON'T PUT ADHESIVE AT THE EDGES OF YOUR PHOTOS OR PAPERS!  That's it really, a very long title for a very easy scrapbooking play.  By not putting your adhesive right to the edges of your papers or photos it leaves room to tuck other papers or embellishments in and around your layout.  Case in point... I adhered the pretty floral and pink dot papers on top of each other and then later decided I wanted to add the cream graph paper with the torn edge along the bottom of the pink dot.  Instead of pulling up the pink dot paper, praying to a higher power not to rip it or my photo, I just slipped the cream graph paper underneath the pink dot with some adhesive already on the backside of it.  Much easier right!? 

Another easy way to add layers and dimension to your layouts is by using foam adhesive, a.k.a. pop dots.  I think you can guess  the name of this scrapbooking play.  Yes, it's called Pop It Up.  These fabulous little pieces of foam adhesive are my heroes. It may sound a little silly to you, but look at the clouds in the photo above.  You can see a shadow under them, like they're really floating on top of the layout.  Here's another closer view of those clouds.  They just wouldn't be the same if they were adhered flat onto the layout. 

Another fun way to add layers is by using your die cutting tools.  I call this play, Tool Time.  I created this cute rosette with the Tim Holtz Rosette Die and some chunky glitter from by stash.  I hear many of my girlfriends say, "I never use my Big Shot" or "I don't know what to use it for."   We have to stop this madness right now!!  Erica already gave you some great ideas for using your stencils, the Cricut Craft Room and embroidery kits all in one post!  We all fall in love with our crafting supplies & tend to hoard them, but we need to learn to use them.  So, when you visit the CK Locker Room we'll be giving you some smart play-by-play ways to rev up your scrapping and get in the game.  Check out the glittery rosette below!

Ok, for my last play of the post... Flip It.  By that I mean if something doesn't quite fit or look 'right' in its intended or normal position, turn it upside down or onto one side or the other.  Up close, this cluster of embellishments looks like it sits nicely on top of the fabric Maggie Holmes frame.  But, take a step back and look again.  The frame is actually turned upside down.  I didn't like where the teal banners ended up hanging on Hannah's sweet face, but I loved the wood grain fabric frame against the mixture of prints.  I just flipped the frame upside down and was totally happy with it! 

So to wrap up today's playbook, we learned what not to do with our adhesive, to incorporate the use of our tools, add dimension by using foam adhesive and flipping embellishments around to maximize their impact.  You guys are already scrapbooking all stars in my book, just don't be afraid to try out for the team!  I'd love it if you tried out one or all of my scrapbooking plays and let me know how they turned out!  The ball is in your court... so go play!

Until next time, keep on scrapping!

~ Jody

     Welcome to the Clique Kits Art Studio with Gia. This is where we will paint and paste, cut and glue, ink and mist and have fun getting creative with everything messy you might find in an art studio! Get ready to learn how to maximize your paper crafting experience while having a lot of fun with supplies you likely have on hand!
      I love the layered look not only for traditional layouts, but also to add my own original DIY flair to journaling and filler cards that fit the different styles of pocket page protectors. Many ephemera packs available today contain a mixture of paper die cuts, along with transparencies and vellum die cuts, and I very often have a lot of left overs. I usually sort ephemera by colors or theme (such as holidays) and keep them handy for layering. Add some sequins or washi tape and you can quickly add a creative touch without adding too much bulk!
  

In this example, I pulled out my little crate of dies and chose one in a 3 x 4 card shape. If you do not have a die like this, don't fret-you can also use a Silhouette or Cricut or other die cutting machine to achieve the same look.  After cutting out my card, I used some Tombo adhesive to tack my sequins down where I wanted them. The last step was simply to use a spare amount of the same adhesive to attach a die cut piece of clear ephemera that was left over from one of last year's Valentine's day lines in my stash over the circle of sequins. And here is my finished card (don't mind the glue still drying-it will dry nice and clear later.)
     Valentine's Day (otherwise known as Loneliness Awareness Day according to my teenage son who laments not being old enough to date) is fast approaching so I thought I would play with another card, a small heart punch, and some red and pink washi tapes (Doodlebug Designs)

Last year I bought a little sewing machine determined to try to do some stitching on my projects. Now it is hard for me to imagine how I ever lived without it in my paper crafting. I usually don't feel something is finished until I have zipped at least some part of it through the sewing machine. When I was last at a crop with friends I noticed that there were many people who had never seen or used washi tape. "Seriously?" I thought to myself. Then I remembered how long it took me to try sewing. I hope that you will be encouraged to join in on the trendy fun of using sequins and washi tape on your next project!  I think that once you do, you will be hooked! And you can be sure Clique Kits monthly kits will be including washi and sequins often!





Those are red photo corners stitched on the card in an arrow design. Never underestimate your everyday office supplies!
 I would love to read your comments and learn about your experiences with these embellishments,  layering techniques, or any other topic that comes to mind! 
-x Gia

Erica here today to share with you an easy and quick way to create some fun journaling cards using an electronic cutter and Amy Tangerine's Embroidery Stencil Kits.  I will be using my Cricut Mini and the Cricut Craft Room to create and cut my journal cards.  I found a shape that was very similar to Project Life style cards and I resized this shape to 3x4 and filled my mat so I was able to cut 5 cards at one time.

Now to turn these plain white journal cards into something fun and unique!  I pulled out some Heidi Swapp stencils and Color Shine and just had fun creating cards to fit my style!

I knew I wanted to add stitching to all my cards so I got the messy part out of the way first to allow them to dry.   Once my inks were dry I pulled out the fabulous embroidery kit from Amy Tangerine and started punching my holes using the poker and one of the stencils that comes in the kit.

The stencil kits from Amy Tangerine are just another way to add some fun and texture to your own journaling cards.  Creating your own custom journaling cards is a great way to use up your scraps and it is also very relaxing to just stitch and I can see myself creating a ton more cards with Amy's stencil kit!  Here is a look at 3 of my finished journaling cards.

Thanks so much for joining me today in our first ever Geek Lab post!  In these post I want to share with you ways to pull out your tools and have fun in different ways and get the most use out of product you have!  Thanks again and have a fabulous day!
-Erica

My life is hectic. I'm not complaining because I truly love it. I love going to school online, I love scrapbooking, I love to dance and help out my husband at his dance studio, I am lucky I have a full time job and I love my puppy and I love my work with Clique Kits. But this leaves me little time to scrapbook.

My solution? It's My Life Album (aka Project Life). I love the ease and quickness about this type of documenting scrapbook. I am able to put in my photos easily and add elements to jazz them up! Sometimes I don't have a lot of time and use already created and beautiful journal cards, or if I have time, I sit down and create my own special creations. I have not veered from traditional scrapbooking, I add 12x12 layouts as well.

During our last blog share, I shared my first few weeks of January spreads in My Life Album. Today I'm going to round out the month and share a the remaining spreads. The spread above is week 4. Some highlights: I snow blowed for the first time ever (though I've lived in MN / ND pretty much my whole life), Matt & I went on our first vacation since 2010. 

As you see some of the journal cards I just placed in the pocket, while others I spent some time personalizing. You really see this on the left hand side with the "Love" journal card and the "Deer Mount" journal card.

I use Simple Stories Page Protectors and 12x12 album to host my photos, layouts and journal cards. It is a really sturdy product and I love all the pocket capabilities! I like variety so I don't get bored. 

I'm so thankful for a beautiful vacation and that my puppy was well taken care of. Because I had less time to spend on this spread, I really focused on pictures I love and memories.

I did mix in a 1/2 page protector from Becky Higgins. Since Matt & I were in Mexico for 5 days, I wanted to highlight some of those photos as well as some images of our puppy Spock, as he spent his vacation at Spa Leslie (our friends house, where he got SPOILED!) These 1/2 pages are perfect if you have a special event and want to add a few extra photos in your week's spread.

Documenting every day life doesn't have to be stressful. I print most my photos from home and if I don't have anything really interesting that I want to document, than I can skip a week. This is your album, this is your life, it is what you make it and what you want to document. So don't get stressed if you skip a week or if it is easier for you to do a layout and spread a month. Make it your own album. That is why I call this project "My Life" Album. 

Join me each Tuesday for more spreads, journal card ideas, pocket ideas, organizing tips and much more related to documenting your life! 

Lacey