Hello loves! My February kit is still in another city 10 hours away from where I live so I created a new scrapbook layout with what's left of my December "Lemonade" kit. I used one of the exclusive cut files this month designed by Maryam Perez and I love how it turned out.

How cute is that background cut file?! I see so many possible designs using this one and I will definitely use it again when I finally get my Feb kit.
So, anyways, here is my scrapbook page

I used all the light colored patterned papers to back the cut file. After adhering all the papers. I used foam tape and placed it on top of another white cardstock. I like how it doesn't look like too flat.

Then I brushed the empty spaces with some watercolors and splattered some as well for a mixed media look.

I layered a doily and some messy thread first before adhering my photos. I converted one photo into black & white and left the other colored. I wanted to add contrast to my colorful layout and I think the black & white photo did the trick.

I also used another oldie but goodie cut file and painted it with metallic gold acrylic paint. I like layering several pieces of the same cut file for dimension.  

A scatter of sequins and a bit of journaling completed my layout. 

That's all from me today. I hope you liked my page!
​Thanks for dropping by and happy crafting!

PS: Don't forget the CK DT CALL! All details can be found HERE.
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Aloha!! It's Hannah with you today. If your life is anything like mine, you have been really busy. In the thick of December, school projects, work parties, traffic jams and all that stress requires some special time in your scrap room. That is definitely how I have been coping with all the chaos of life. The busier things get the messier I like it on my pages. 
Today I am using both the Main Lemonade Kit and the Traveler's Notebook Lemonade Kit. These kits work together so well I couldn't help but put them together and get more layouts and projects out of them. Before I add all the pretty papers and all the cute embellishments layered on my layout I am gonna talk you through how I like to create my own background paper. 

I started off with my choice of smooth white card stock. I like the thickness of smooth card stock and how it holds up to the many different kinds of mixed media I like to use. This time I decided against using gesso. Gesso is a primer that you can use before adding any kind of liquid media. It helps less of the liquid soak into the background you are adding it too. If you add it to paper, it will help less of the liquid in the media will soak up into the paper and helping it not warp as much. It will make the media dry differently because it sits on top of the gesso and paper. 
I choose to not add gesso because I also find that sometimes the gesso itself will make the paper warp. In times when I think I won't be using a ton of media or media that is not really liquid, like acrylic paint I find it isn't as necessary. This is purely a personal choice and if you love to add mixed media to your projects playing around with gesso and without gesso is a must. This will help you figure out what your personal preference is especially with the brands and products you enjoy using.
For this layout I am using mainly acrylic paint and some glitter liquid ink from my mixed media stash.  

I added and mixed green, yellow and white acrylic paint in a paint dauber. Once I played around with the mix of colors, by adding more green and more white I got a fun mint/aqua color. I also added a few squirts of acrylic airbrush medium. This liquid will help thin my paint and help it not separate and be easier to spread through the dauber. I used the dauber straight down on the layout and splatted it on the paper in random spots. I love the way the liquid paint splats and sprays out onto the background and leave lots of little streaks of paint across the white background. This is messy but a controllable mess, I like when I can control where my mess can go. 
After I used the dauber I just dropped my liquid gold glitter ink straight from it's bottle onto the page. I am a big fan of watercolor splatters of any kind on layouts. You don't need much of it to make a huge impact. The higher you hold up the paint brush or bottle of liquid from the layout the bigger the drops will be. I wanted my drops to be a little smaller than my dauber spats. The glittery and shiny gold against the mint really adds contrast on the background. 
I still felt like it needed something else. I could have stopped, and called it good. This is something I have just learned from my own playing around with mixed media. How much I like on my pages, how much media I use until I feel the background is complete. I think each project and layout is different but playing around is really the only good way for you to know what you prefer and the look you want to go with. Since I wanted this white card stock to look like a patterned background, I knew it needed another layer or so. I find mixing patterns, shapes and sizes helps create an appealing design. These layers can really work together if you do it right.
For this background I decided I wanted black stripe. I used a paint brush to apply acrylic black paint. I didn't want my lines to straight and perfect so I just added them from the bottom to the top of the layout. I started with a thinner line at the bottom and getting a little thicker as I went to the top. I decided not to draw over the splatters and splats so I didn't cover up the texture you see with those splatters and splats. I also like the way this skip adds extra white space and breathing room on the background.  

For the last bit of mixed media on the actual background I used thinned navy/black acrylic paint in a fine line bottle to doodle circles near the splatters and splats. I left some of the circles open in the middle and fill some in. Because the paint is in a fine line bottle and thinned out it is really easy to control and doodle with, but when it dries it still adds a little dimension on the background. The circle design also repeats off of the splatters and splats and creates a really design that is unique but has a bit of structure. 
Creating my own backgrounds allows me to play with something messy, and play the stress of the week away . It also allows me to add a little bit more of me on the layouts that I make. Being creative and playing with media is my way of leaving a bit of me on my layouts and spreads for my family. When we make layouts for our families we use words but we also leave and tell more of a story with the way we arrange things on our pages. I really hope to encourage you to think about the things you do on your layouts and projects and what it tells to your family about you the creator. Do the things you love and use the things you love on the layouts you create so your family can really get to know you creatively and with the words you do leave on the spreads you make. Use your strengths to help tell your stories. 

I used some copper acrylic paint on this big chipboard words to match the copper on the stickers and die cuts from the kits. I layered this word with the die cuts and Paige Evans wood shapes. I think nestling embellishments together in clusters really leaves a big impact. Each shape peeking out a bit and creates shadows.
To back the white card stock with the mixed media on it I added a 12x12 patterned paper with a small dot pattern slightly askew. I know this will make it difficult when adding it to my page protector, but I really like the way these two patterns look hanging off of each other. I like the imperfect look it creates. I added some stitching with my sewing machine to the top and side connecting the two papers. 
I used a 3x4 sized photo with a few patterned papers from the main kit. I added the photo near the bottom of the layout. I used the stripes on the background as a shelf for the photo. This helps the photo feel more grounded. In the layers I also added a glassine bag filled with some sequins and some die cuts sticking out the top of the bag. I wanted the sheen of the bag to feel a little like the snow in my photo. 
I let the embellishment clutters trickle down the layout. The first main cluster is up at the top of the layout. I added a couple of die cuts layered with some wood pieces and stickers near the cluster. I added some copper paint to parts of the wood pieces too. 
 I will later added the journalling in the stripes before I add my layout to my album. This is a picture of the first major snow my kids have seen. The look on my son's face is priceless as he steps out into the snow for the first time. He is beaming to play in this magical thing called snow. I love that I can remember this moment forever by just looking at this photo. This is really the final nail for way I scrapbook. To remember these faces and moments, because my kiddos will grow up, they will move away from home and I will get older and that smile will fade from my mind's eye but this photo will last and I can see that cute big grin again. 

Thanks for joining me today and playing with some mixed media to create a background. I hope you play and share what you are creating with your lemonade kit on our Facebook group or on Instagram. Use the hashtag #click_connect_create. 
I will see you around, and if I don't have a post before Christmas I wish you a very special and crafty holiday season!! 

Recently I watched a demonstration at my Ben Franklin store promoting Ken Oliver's color burst products
​which was my first happy accident of the week. You see, I had actually gone looking for the  Tim Holtz Oxide Distress ink products which they did not yet have. (If you have ever lived in Hawaii you know that there are very few places to buy supplies, and when you find them, they are not always the newest products!) Needless to say,  a package of these intensely pigmented watercolor powders came home with me- what can I say, I am a sucker to try every kind of watercolor paint known to man. Distress oxides will have to wait!

Fast forward about a week to the first chance I had to sit down at my desk and play. I started with an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cold pressed watercolor paper. Not really having a "feel" for how  much powder to use, and how the paints would behave when mixed with a brush versus sprayed with water and how to mix the colors in an effective way, I just had to start somewhere. I should have taken a picture of the other 100 sheets of paper to show you just how much fun I ended up having in the process of playing. I saved all of these "accidents", because I never like to waste paint or paper, and you never know when these scraps may come in handy!

Fast forward again to the creation of this layout...what I thought would end up in the rubbish can inspired me to use it as a background for this layout about the rainbows that appear in the valleys of the West Maui mountains in the front of my house. Hawaii is known as the rainbow state and when people ask if we really have rainbows all the time, the answer is yes...every friggin' day! The Hawaiians call them blessings, and they truly are. 

Usually mornings at my house are not our finest hour-the kids are usually hurried to get ready for school and yelling their heads off at each other. So imagine my surprise to find them arm in arm pointing at the full arch double rainbow from our front stoop.  After playing around with some layering of patterned paper and embellishments from the December Clique Kit I decided to use a little of the copper metallic color burst on the left side to tie in the copper accents in the die cut pieces. Unfortunately they do not show up well in the photos, but are so much prettier in person. The shimmery copper paint made a good finishing touch.

In conclusion, in your art like in life, it is impressive to have everything work out exactly as you intended it to...but sometimes life has a different plan, and you never know...you just might like how it turns out! 

Aloha!! It's Hannah with you here today!! It feels like it's been a while since I have been on the blog. I have missed everyone. I have missed playing with my regular kits because as December comes around I get into the swing of December Daily and forget to grab for the regular kits. Are you like that too?
I thought it would be fun to show a little bit about how my December Documenting looks when I am not  making a spread with a photo that is about or related to Christmas. Many times the pictures I take in December are just your typical day to day snapshots. Many times using these photos with christmas or holiday themed papers just seems weird to be honest. 
Today I am using both the main and the traveler's notebook kits combined. These kits both feature Dear Lizzy Stargazer. It's bright and cheerful. I am really loving this kit. 
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Let's talk a little bit about something else else.... How to make a Traveler's Notebook page that is filled with layers and goodness but isn't bulky. It can be really hard not to add everything into your notebook. I am the queen of layers so it is always a challenge to tone down this creative spark to have it fit into the little package. 
Traveler's Notebook's are very trendy right now. The are pocket sized (OK, maybe pocket book sized). They are often filled with so many pages. But once you start adding papers, embellishments, stickers and little bits from our collections and kits those pages spring up and can often make the notebooks really full.  I have a few that I don't even want to finish because they are so full.
There are however some things you can do to get amazing spreads in your Traveler's Notebook's without adding too much bulk and letting you get the most out of each notebook you get.  

Tip 1: Use mixed media for your background whenever you can. No matter what kind of paper you have in your notebook just by adding a little paint or spray you can transform your neutral background into something textured and colorful (if you want it colorful).  
For this spread, I used a fine line bottle with thinned paint and drew circles. They are crazy and not perfect and I love them. They fit my daughter's personality and that is always a neat thing when you can connect those types of elements on your spreads. I used various colors that match the papers and my daughter's shirt. These Shimmerz watercolor Inklingz  paints add a punch with little work.
In my bottom circle I stamped with the Dear Lizzy  stamper the same word repeating. I think this effect is really cool and adds some varying tones without much effort.
Adding stamps to you background spread with or without media can really give you a cool pattern or design depending how you stamp them on your background. They don't add bulk to your page so they are really perfect for Traveler's Notebooks. 

Tip 2:  From the beginning choose a dimension level you are comfortable with. Everyone has different preferences for dimension on a page, and especially Traveler's Notebooks. Picking how think you want your page to be and sticking with that is key. 
On this spread I choose the thin wood pieces from Paige Evans in the kit. They are lightweight so that is also a positive because it doesn't tug at the pages or leave weird indentations once the album is settling. Using this piece as my guide I choose a few papers from the 6x6 pad to layer under my photo. If you were worried about the layers being to thick use only thin strips behind the photo. Use washi tape as a layer behind the photo or use only one sheet of patterned paper.  You can always add a couple of stickers or die cuts behind the photo for layers and it won't be too bulky. 

I love this library card pad from Dear Lizzy as a layer. The metallics of the paper is striking but this paper is really thin too. 
Tip 3: Instead of adding lots of embellishments add color or alter the embellishments you have added. On my page I added more Shimmerz paints to a couple of the wood pieces. I also used a copper paint pen on the wood pieces too. Adding metallic in general to a page can go a long way. A little bit of sparkle can do a lot for your spread too. How about using sequins to your Traveler's Notebooks to add sparkle and dazzle without being heavy or thick.

Tip 4: Use die cuts as your title or part of your title. Thickers tend to be heavier or thick so swapping out some of the words with a die cut can really keep the thickness down. You could also, if you are comfortable with your own handwriting, hand script part of your title too. 
I mixed my title up with the Amy Tan Thickers from the main kit and then added that wonderful die cut. I let my title take up the bottom of my spread. Keeping this bottom simple and minimal, I only have layers on one side. 

I added stickers to the photo and embellishments to add interest without being really thick. 
Tip 4: This is my last tip for today, Don't be afraid to layer things near the edges of the pages. Many times when I am building layers I let the papers hang off page a bit. By doing this, I am spreading out the paper over more space longwise instead of height wise. Besides it really makes your notebooks look homemade and more like a journal you might find, something you used to make as a teenager when you added pictures to your journals with real ephemera. Keeping this tactile element on your page really adds something special, like baker's twine in a tag or stitching on an embellishment cluster before to adhere it down on the page. 

I hope you are inspired to try some new techniques to keep your Traveler's Notebook's bulk free. Can't wait to see your December Lemonade Kit spreads in the Clique FB group too. 
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!!

Hi it's Gia stopping in to share one of my favorite features of the December kit-and the Dear Lizzy Stargazer collection...copper !  I have noticed on my Target runs and Pinterest surfing binges that copper has really been trending in everything including stationery, home decor, and even clothing. I remember when gold first appeared as a real trend in scrapbooking and this year we saw both copper and rose gold added to the family of metals.  

In this close up you can see I added some of the copper colored sequins which were actually in the December traveler's notebook kit. If you are subscribing to only one kit or the other and are lucky enough to be able to consider subscribing to both I have to say--do it! The two kits always complement each other so well I find myself mixing and matching with the contents all the time! I used some copper tinted gel medium to add the patina to the chipboard word I used as my title. I really love how it turned out! 

And now for extra credit...can you guess another trend I am sharing in this post? You betcha! Its swans! What are your thoughts on copper and other metals? Have you been seeing more swans around also? I'd love to hear what trends you are following! 

Hello! Donna here sharing my first project with the December "Lemonade" kit. It features the Star Gazer collection by Dear Lizzy.
​This kit is so pretty and I love the playful and fun designs as well as the bright palette of colors!

​​As always, I love it when there is a paper with images/patterns I can fussy cut.

The Marigold Merriment paper is my new favorite paper at the moment!

A few pieces will go a long way so I have more to fussy cut and use for future projects.

I started first by cutting strips of paper and placed them vertically on the left side of the layout. Then I hand cut the scallop borders for a bit of texture.
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I fussy cut several of these yellow flowers and leaves and tucked them underneath the photo and under the cluster of wordart frames on the right side of the paper strips. I used foam tape to adhere the ends of the leaves and flowers as well as the top part of the wordart frames to give depth.

I scattered the colorful sequins all over the page and added the title to finalize the look. I handwritten the word "just" in my title with a black Micron pen.

And that's it! I hope you liked what I shared and I would love to hear what you think of my project today!
Happy crafting,

It's another FriYAY here on the blog and time to share a travelers notebook layout which will be a small sneak of our December travelers notebook kit. Last weekend my family had a 3 day weekend for Veterans Day and we took the kids camping on an outer island where the stars were so bright in the sky and we almost had the whole beach to ourselves.  The perfect title for this layout is "The best weekend"

In this layout I used my favorite paper in the December kit which you can see peeking out from behind the photo.  I love the copper accents in this kit and the coppery sequins match perfectly. Washi tapes and stamps are two of my must haves for my travelers notebook layouts- and this kit does not disappoint! I can't wait for you to see the full reveal of the December travelers notebook kit! Coming soon!