Hi everyone! It's time to do some make up homework for Summer School and share some of my Clique Into Summer album. First, I wanted to share the simple way I embellished my front cover by adding a little bit of cork, with stamping and paint. I stamped right onto a sheet of cork with the super cute Lawn Fawn stamp, Wish You Were Here (I hear there are only 2 left in the Clique Kits store!) using black Memento dye ink. I just love this little globe! 
Next up, several of my SN@P pages! I've loved working in my Clique Into Summer album and hope everyone is having fun in theirs too! As you can see, I've incorporated negative shapes, masking and misting, stitching and layering into my Clique album. You can too! 
And that's it for today my friends! We're already into week 7 in the Clique Into Summer workshop, which is just crazy. I keep thinking about summer being about half over and when our girls go back to school. It's just flying by! That being said, let's all try to stay up in our Clique Into Summer albums. My biggest tip for staying with a project, like any layout or even a mini album, is to work in short increments of time. This works great for me as my kids are always around when I'm home and almost always want to be very involved in whatever I'm doing! If you'd like to see what that looks like, you can get some comic relief from this video. This, of course, works the best if you have a small space you can leave your project out. 
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 Please join the Clique Kits girls in thanking Scrappin' Madge for sharing her thoughts on mixing old and new on some layouts this month! Here she is sharing one last post with the Clique...  Hey, Hey everybody it’s me Scrappin Madge! I am super excited to be with you all again today! I have to start by asking are you a SUBSCRIBER??? If you answered NO! Well, I Have to say let’s get you subscribed shall we?? I mean I am truly loving each and every Clique Kits Kit!! I stalk my mailman each month to get my fun kit!!! Now I am also thrilled to be the Substitute Teacher this month!!! This month I have been teaching you how to take something old and creating something new! Or taking something old and combining it with something new!!! For my first project I took from my own personal Viewfinder yes, the old red kind and took the view-slide that was in my viewfinder and added it to my fun mixed media layout!!! So fun! It sometimes is the little things like this that add the most to some of our projects!!!  Did you check out the viewslide??? It is a Walt Disney Peter Pan slide that I had on hand! Here is a close-up!  I hope that I have inspired you to add something old and something new to your projects!! It was such a great month creating with all of you! I have to Thank the Clique Kit Girls for this wonderful opportunity of being the Substitute Teacher of the month!! Loves, Scrappin Madge I love how Madge used new product from the July kit, A Midsummer Nights Dream, which showcased Allison Kreft's Capture Life line together with her vintage View master reel! How cute are all those die cut View master reels? And having a REAL vintage reel like that really makes it special! Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring us this month! The Echo Park designer die is available in the school store, and is currently 25% off! Use code AUGUST25 for an additional 25 % off your entire store purchase this month!
Click.Connect.Create. -xGia 
One of my favorite pieces of the August kit is the mint corrugated paper by Fancy Pants Design! I love the texture of the corrugated paper and the color is so yummy! This past Sunday, my husband and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. We took a picture before we headed out for a celebration lunch. I cut some of the die cuts in glitter gold paper I had in my stash. I love gold and glitter and I think it works beautifully with this kit and the die cuts! 
Here are a few close ups! Notice the die cuts and printables used in both the close ups below! I also used some of the My Mind's Eye: enamel dots you can get in our shop!
And don't you adore the wooden heart that are painted with gold!? These are an exclusive in our August kit by our very own Gia! Die cuts will be e-mailed to subscribers August 1. They will make their way to our digital shop a week later! So keep your eyes on our digital shop and Facebook page for purchase dates. Thanks for joining me today! Have a scrap happy day!
Lacey 
Hi everybody! It's Gia here so excited to kickoff our August kit reveal with some inspiration for you showing the kit in use! If you are here visiting and would like to get your hands on this awesomeness you are in luck! Go here and subscribe now before they are sold out! The full reveal of Glam Camp is shown on the Monthly Kit page. Not only is the My Mind's Eye Market Street line by Jen Allyson beautiful, this kit has been given the Clique Kits unique touch with some great exclusives that all coordinate maximizing your productivity scrapping along with us all month long! Another thing I absolutely love about Glam Camp is it is full of textures! From burlap bows to woodgrain cards, to cork embellishments, and corrugate card stock- layering with texture is a piece of cake! Hopefully, you are one of our subbies and will soon be finding out for yourself! 
For this layout I was excited to scrap some pictures from a recent family camping trip. I had a hard time narrowing down which photos to use, and decided it would be fun to challenge myself to use a lot of photos on one layout, taking inspiration from a square pocket page style grid. 
To create the grid, I first cut paper into squares of different sizes, from 3 1/4 inch squares to 3 3/4 inch squares. The reason I varied the sizes was so that when layering them the different patterns would show. Next I did something I haven't done in a while- good old fashioned scissor distressing! This helped to give my little square piles lots of depth. The exclusive Clique Kits gold wood heart embellishments (hand painted by yours truly and shared with The Clique in the Glam Camp kit) are a little thicker than regular wood veneers, about the same thickness and weight as a flair button. I love all of the gold in this paper collection and the kit adds even more gold to glam up your projects. 
After I had my squares arranged in a pleasing way, I ran each one through my sewing machine just a little right through the middle, so that the edges would have a tendency to curl up just a little, for effect. Last but not least, I embellished each square pile with lots of dimensional elements such as wood pieces, enamel dots, and flair. For my title I combined both of the alphabets included in the kit (Chic Tags banner alpha and Fancy Pants Designs burlap alpha), plus a gold foil word (Pretty Little Studios) also from the kit. I used a black marker to doodle outline our family name "Lau" in the title to make sure it didn't blend into the sleeping bag in the photo making it difficult to read. 
In order to make the printable 3 x 4 cards work with my layout, I simply trimmed them down to square shapes! The cards are versatile and can be used in regular 3 x 4 pockets or as layout elements, or as I did here, cut into squares. Because they are printed from downloadable files, they can be used over and over in different ways! I have a feeling I will try fussy cutting some of the elements out at some point, and using them again in a project life style layout. Having coordinating digitals such as printables and cut files every month really stretches how much you can use the kit down to the very last scrap of paper! 
Here I just wanted to show you how the layered squares look from the side angle where you can see how dimensional they really are, which may not show as well in the full frontal view! The ivory burlap string in the kit was the perfect finishing touch wrapped around my central photo and title element. All of the product in this layout, except for the small piece of Pinkfresh Studios washi tape and the glittered arrow from Freckled Fawn (available in the school store) are from Glam Camp. The confetti and enamel dots and the wood veneer feather are available in the school store also as add ons that coordinate with this kit. They are listed under school store , "Added in August" while supplies last! If you are a designer who likes working with premium designer brand name paper products, coordinating exclusives, and unique items sourced from small businesses and even handmade, then we encourage you to apply for a spot on our Clique Kits Design Team! We are looking for friendly, enthusiastic designers ranging in a variety of styles and formats of paper crafting who believe in our club philosophy. Clique Kits also offers special kits throughout the year such as our limited edition Clique Into Summer Kit which sold out this past summer, and has many more special kits in the works for the coming year. Member blog share participation, know-how with digital files such as Silhouette cut files, and social media activity are a must for this team! If you feel you would be a good fit for Clique Kits, you are encouraged to apply. All of the details are here. Deadline for applications is midnight on August 24, 2014. Click.Connect.Create.Leave a comment, we love hearing from you!
-xGia  Hey, hey everyone! If you happened to miss Wednesday's Pep Rally, make sure you stop over and hop all the fab inspiration!! Leaving comments on all the blogs enters you for winning a $10 Clique Kits store credit!! Jody here with a fun layout to share using A LOT of the Crate Paper Open Road Ephemera. I love these packs of ephemera but I often times have a bunch left over. My goal this month was use them up and I've come pretty darn close between this layout and the second layout I'm sharing on my blog today. You can check that layout HERE. So, onto my CK post today :) I started with a 12x12" sheet of American Crafts white cardstock and splattered some Studio Calico Mr. Huey's in Sunshine randomly on my background. Then began to build up my layers. You know our fabulous exclusive die cuts?? Well, you can also print them so made my own stickers!! Pretty cool, right?! I printed out the film strip, then cut it apart to edge my photo. I also printed out the "Summer" die cut and created a stickers with that one tool. I also layered lots of the ephemera along the right side of my photo and layout, along with some of the printables which I printed onto vellum. I also added in some machine stitching, which is never straight when I do it, and left the ends of thread to be free and hang out.    Here are a some more close ups of my layout. As you can see, I also included the awesome Basic Grey Highlines Chalkboard Wood Tags to create a visual triangle on my layout. This helps to draw you eye around the layout. To write on my wood tags I used my Ranger Distress Marker in Picket Fence. I don't have any other Distress Marker besides this one and I love it! You can write onto black or dark papers or embellishments and it turns from clear to white. You can get the same effect with a white Signo Pen or many other white markers or pens on the market. Take a closer look at the layered journaling tags in the upper left corner. The top card with 'love' and all the hearts is printed onto vellum to create a soft, summer-haze look. I layered the vellum printed card over white America Crafts cardstock then, layered combo over the pretty Capture Life pink paper. I topped it off with a little spinkling of Chic Tags wood veneer sequins!    Welcome to the July Pep Rally! We are so glad you are here to be inspired by the amazing talent of the Clique Kits members who have the opportunity to participate in our monthly blog shares and earn free stuff for sharing their projects made with their monthly kit! Your name could be on this list next month! Clique Kits Gia Jody Erica Shayne Lacey Michelle (Student of the Month) Madge Mariah Danielle Alisha Tyra Charity Cassandra Rosann Tess Sarah The July kit was full of fun elements like view master reels, filmstrips, bokeh patterns and more. We decided it would be a fun challenge to use one or more of these items in a project! There will be a prize winner chosen from those who participate in the "Captured on Film" theme challenge, and YOU TOO could win a prize just for commenting and being Clique Kits blog follower or fan on Facebook! The winners will be announced this weekend.
Speaking of this weekend, we are so excited for REVEAL this Friday, July 25th! The August kit--- Glam Camp--- is spectacular. Wait until you see all of the gorgeous paper and embellishments in this kit. If you have been thinking about joining the Clique, please do not wait a minute longer!! We are getting close to that time --very, very close to being sold out again. Which means, with the changes in the industry trade shows and release and shipping schedules, we may not have openings again once we sell out this time until November! In other news, Clique kits has put out the call for our very first Design Team. And we can't wait to surprise you with some scrap-lebrity designer posts coming soon! Join us in August when Jen Allyson of My Mind's Eye will be stopping by the Clique to talk and create with us. There is even more fun stuff planned for September. (Can you tell it is killing me just to keep this stuff a secret??) Enjoy the blog share! And don't forget to leave a comment on each blog for a chance to win! Click.Connect.Create. -xoxo Gia 
Some things in life are beautiful when they have been untouched by humans in years and nature overcomes it. This is such the case at my husband's family's lake home. A few weeks ago we spent the weekend there and needed to clear out an area of the garden so it could be mowed. But there are so many hidden and beautiful every day items that caught my eye. I started taking pictures of these items and even protested the move of the wagon. The garden, as I have come to know it in the last 10 years is Grandma's Garden. Just like the bedroom down in the basement was Grandma's bedroom. Grandma passed away before I met Matt, but her life lives on through many things, including the garden at the lake. I used the Simple Stories Set - Under the Stars for this layout. This paper set has a outdoor / camping / cabin theme to it. I knew I had to have it this year because of the time we have been spending at the lake and outside! The Simple Stories - Simple Sets are AWESOME as well. They are a great price (even on sale in the Clique Kits store) and includes: (4) double sided pattern paper, (2) double sided 12x12 journal cards and (2) 6x12 sticker sheets! I have used some of the past sets and I can get 3-4 layouts out of one of these kits. I find it the PERFECT amount. I'm not left with extra paper I don't know what to do with or too little that I don't get much out of it! So if you haven't tried out one of these sets, I highly recommend them. We do carry a few in our shop! 
Okay, I know - enough talking. Here is my layout featuring lovely items found in Grandma's Garden. 
Beyond the Simple Set, I included some die cut butterflies (Tim Holtz), cork shapes (Circle & Heart -- cut by myself, Arrow -- American Crafts), Pink Fresh Enamel Frame, Studio Calico Wood Enamel Dots, washi tape and tissue paper. What are some of your favorite "held in time" items or places you like to remember? Take a photo of these moments that tell a story and tell the story.
Thanks for stopping by today! Have a scrap happy day! Lacey   And ....... Michelle Yuen is back on our blog today for her day in the Clique Kits spotlight as our July Guest Designer, a.k.a The Studio of the Month!! If you missed her first post, please check it out HERE. Her submission projects are fabulous! We have loved this girl's work ever since we laid eyes on her a few months back & we're just thrilled to have her with us. She's created some gorgeous projects for us with our Midnight Summer's Dream Clique Kit, featuring Allison Kreft's Capture Life for Echo Park Paper. Before we reveal Michelle's Midnight Summer's Dream magic, here are her personal creative links for you to check out. We encourage you to follow her creative journey, as we have a feeling we'll be seeing more of this girl! Her new website * Pinterest * Instagram And now let's dive into Michelle's projects! This first one is just... well, I have no words and we all know that doesn't happy to often! LOL! Let's talk about the washi tape grid and all the fun ways she filled her playful grid with those squares and perfectly placed stickers! Seriously fab along with the hand drawn sketching around the outside of the layout.. Wow!  Next up....these two beauties. Michelle's use of color & mixture of the paper patterns is so striking and quite awesome. I think I even see a little washi tape bow under the teal button, holding her feathers in place. Details, details, details!   And then Michelle created this one! Be still my Midnight Summer's Dream heart. I'm really loving the angled VACATION title at the bottom right of her layout. Such clever placement right there!  To wrap up Michelle's fabulous projects, she created two beautiful cards for your viewing pleasure! These two creative cards just make me happy. Look at how Michelle combined the papers, washi tape, stickers, Pink Fresh Studio numbers and embellishments. She certainly has rocked it as the Clique Kits Student of the Month!   Michelle, thank you so much for being our Student of the Month and creating with A Midnight Summer's Dream. Your creative works are a pleasure for all to see & we'll be looking forward to seeing you more!
I'm sure you're wondering if you can still get your scrappy little creative hands on this July kit?! Well, yes you can while supplies last! GO HERE to grab your July kit and look around our store for more extra goodies you can't live without! Insert subliminal message here ~ you need the Clique Kits exclusive digital cut files.... you must have the Amy Tangerine Plus One rub-ons and embossing folder... Seriously though, check out our entire store for lots of Clique Kits exclusive products, and many coordinating products for our kits. We also have great assortment of Simple Stories products, many of which are on sale now in our CLIQUE KITS STORE. Until next time my friends, happy scrappin'! ~ Jody 
Happy Sunday everybody! I can't believe that it is already July 20th. The summer is flying by! It is already time to start sharing some teasers to get ready for the big reveal of the August Clique Kit! First up, I have a mood board to share. I made this board from some of my 'pins' related to the planning of the August Kit. If you are a subscriber, you may have already seen our graphic announcing "Glam Camp" coming soon. Without giving away too much, I wanted to share a little hint about the kit! The mood of Glam Camp is all about summer celebrations, friendship, family time, and enjoying the great outdoors. (Just add twinkle lights and flowers!) 
We have some fantastic posts coming soon right here on the Clique Kits Blog! This Wednesday, July 23rd will be our fourth official members blog share, the Pep Rally, featuring the July kit A Midsummer Nights Dream. We have heard nothing but rave reviews of this kit, and to be honest, with feedback from the Clique we feel that every month our kits keep getting better and better! Our subscribers are more than just customers- they are our community and circle of scrappy friends. We love to interact with the Clique in our private Facebook group and other social media. In August we have a Guest Designer, Guest Blogger, and our Designer in the Spotlight-Jen Allyson as featured posts. Stay tuned for more details! Possibly the most exciting news of all is that Clique Kits has put out the call for our very first Design Team. We invite YOU to apply to help the Clique Kits girls to provide inspiration for our members and friends! We'd love to hear your thoughts about the mood board and anything else on your mind! Follow us to stay informed. Of course we'd love it if you subscribe now so you can be IN the Clique in time for Glam Camp! Can't wait for the full reveal on July 25th for subscribers!!Click.Connect.Create.
-xGia 
I'm so happy it's Friday! What a busy week it's been for us Clique Kits girls and there's still more behinds the scene fun stuff going on. All we can say is whoot whoot!! Yes, yes, I'm such a tease :) Anyway.....
Today I'm sharing a layout with this funky city scape chevron paper by Allison Kreft for Echo Park. I just love it but wondered how I was going to create a layout with this. So, I did what I always do when I'm not quite sure what to do. I chose my photos, started gathering my embellishments and play with our exclusive CK die cuts and printables. I've been addicted to printing our printables onto vellum and I totally love it! I also used a few of our exclusive die cuts, designed by our Lacey :) 
And a few more close ups of the die cuts. These are so awesome you guys! I trimmed a couple of them down a little so they fit better and added more layers and dimension with some fun Chic Tags acetate shapes from my June Kit, Show and Tell (there are still a few left in the Clique Kits shop too!)
And here's the real kicker! I created this layout directly on the back of my layout from last week. Crazy huh!? When you are hung up on which side to create a layout on because you love both... create on both! Here a little trick I use for getting these double sided layouts into my page protectors: I put a sheet of 12x12" cardstock on either side to make a "layout sandwich" so to speak. Then I slide the "layout sandwich" into the page protector with no problem. Next just remove your two pieces of cardstock and your good to show it off in your scrapbook! 
Thank so much for joining to me today! I've had a blast creating with this kit, which is just about all used up. If you don't have our June or July kits, there are a few left in our Clique Kits Store so hurry up and grab one before they're gone for good. We also have subscriptions open starting in August!! Join our Clique, you'll love it here!
Stay tuned for more Click Into Summer, and other Clique Kits news coming soon! Happy Scrappin'! Jody |
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