Happy National Scrapbooking Weekend all! Last night, I created this pretty layout during our Sip' n Scrap session on zoom. I'm so glad I joined. It was nice seeing some of your beautiful faces! We talked for awhile too, which I loved! 

To begin, I cut the orange and white polka dot paper from the Color Study Paper Pack and the Sampler Kit to measure 8 1/2 x 11 and the floral print to measure 7 1/2 x 10. Then I matted them together with the smaller print in the center of the layout. I added several die cuts from the Add-on Embellishment Kit in the background across the middle of the page.

I matted the photo onto a die cut to frame the picture and then mounted it down in the middle of the layout. Once I was satisfied with the placement, I added the flowers from the add-on embellishment kit for dimension and the butterfly. Then, I added the gingham ribbon through the tag to add more dimension. 

I used foam squares to mount the "right here" die cut across the top of the layout to fill in the white space and then added the  "loving this day" sticker strip.

This beautiful collection is still available in the shop. I just love the beautiful patterns and prints in this collection. It is by far, my favorite collection from Vicki Boutin.

There's still time to participate in the crop this weekend. Come visit us in the Clique Group! Thanks so much for visiting today!

Hello friends!  Nicole here and today I'm thrilled to be sharing my first post with Clique Kits and the beautiful April "Full Bloom" kit!  Vicki Boutin's Color Kaleidoscope collection is one of my most favorite collections recently...I just love all of the rainbow colors!  Today, I'm using two of my favorite papers in this collection, Chasing Rainbows and Paper Hearts. When I saw all of the hearts, I knew I had to fussy cut that paper!

Once I had all of my hearts cut out, I color blocked them on the vertical stripes of color and stitched them very carefully with my sewing machine.  I did this so the hearts would be able to pop off my page and add dimension.

After I stitched the hearts into place, I added my photo, title and other embellishments.  I just love the large butterflies this month, don't you?!  And the cut apart banners from Pretty Little Studio were the perfect pops of complimenting colors and with the perfect phrases!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you've been inspired!  Be sure to tag me on social media so I can see what you've created!

Aloha!! It's Hannah with you today!! I hope you all have wonderful plans this weekend. Today I am going to be using the November Cornucopia Traveler's Notebook Kit. This kit is so cheerful, these supplies really help lift my spirits. 
We have been back to school and getting into our school time routine for a little over a month now. I won't lie, I am really missing the summer and my extra free time. This time of the year though, just has something that draws me in. Preparing for the winter, getting back into a daily routine, new seasons of tv shows to watch and lots of reading and writing, are going on in my house. 
I really love the idea of documenting this big change this time of the year. I think every year I expect something a bit different, and to have that in some journaling is really nice. At the end of the year it really helps you see how far you have come. But back to school layouts and spreads really have a bad rap. Whether it's sleepy cranky faces, whether it's the change in the lighting , the lack of enthusiasm about the upcoming times, it sometimes is hard to capture this season change in a good light. 
I think for me some of it is that the info can be generic. You want to make sure you have facts on the layout. 
Hopefully today I can give you some small easy tips to make documenting your back to school and season changing that help you share your families stories. 

My first tip is to make your layout fun, whether you have little kiddos at home or some not so little kids. use a fun design to document your daily routines. Today I am going to scrap lift myself. I made this above layout 2 years ago for a back to school challenge.  I love how there are elements that point to autumn but that I used my favorite technique, layering. This design is so much fun. Scrap lifting myself means I don't have to come up with a design but can focus on other elements on my layout. 

I did lots of fussy cutting for this layout, but it meant I didn't have to raid the main kit for too many die cuts, just a few that helped tell my stories. 
My next tip is, Use your paper as embellishments. There are so many papers now days that have flowers (In fact our kits both have lots of florals and cut worthy pattern papers), or other elements to cut out. Use these pieces as embellishments to layer on your page. Whether you like a clean and simple layout or a busy layout, you can cut a lot of just a little.  This is so helpful when you have really bold patterns too. 
I used the little 2x2 squares to draw leaves and cut them out. I also fussy cut the flowers in the patterned paper in the TN kit. I got so much from just a little paper. 

My next tip is to use those word die cuts as part of your title. If you are anything like me, I struggle coming up with awesome titles. Thankfully these die cut words can help me with that. It also helps draw interest to the title when you vary the size font and font look. 
In this layout I even used one of the journaling cards with beautiful hand script words as my title.  Now my title isn't quite the same as two years ago back, you know it is a back to school layout. 

My next tip is not be afraid to use all your themed pieces together on the layout. But don't let this stop you  if you don't have themed die cuts. A couple of themed pieces go a long way mixed in with what might feel like a lot of non themed pieces. 
I know I tend to stay away from the traditional items but I don't want a really themed layout, but you know it's ok to have that kind of spread every once in a while. But by mixing themed pieces with items that don't say Back To School it really helps to balance the theme. 
Remember to mix up colors, shapes, sizes and textures. This will help draw interest to you layout. 

I had fun layering all the beautiful colors of this kit. The Main Kit's die cuts were perfect for cutting that brightness too. I also love this October CK exclusive Flair badge. It works so well. 

My last tip is to change up your journaling. This layout I decided to write it like I was talking to my kids. They may not fully understand it all now, but later years down the road, they will be able to hear my voice as they read my words to them. 
Another suggestion is to add your kids favorites, and see how they change from the beginning to the end of the school year. You could even have you r kids write their own journaling, changing the tone by them telling things about this time and how they feel about it. As a mom, we can only tell part of the story, so adding your child's voice it really can change the way they remember that day, that year. 
​

Here is a finished look at my layout. I liked using my Traveler's notebook Kit for something other than my Traveler's Notebook. I love how this cheerful kit, helped my back to school layout be fun and helped captured my kids personalities. They are so playful, goofy and they really were enjoying this photo time, even if they laughed during most of the photo shoot. 
I hope I encourage you to document these special moments in a different way. Also don't forget to share with us all the layouts and projects you make with your Clique Kits!! Use the hashtag #click_connect_create and #cliquekits on social media and we will be able to see it!!
I hope you check out all the November Add Ons. They will ship out with your November Clique Kits at the beginning of the month. Use my code Hannah10 an you can get 10% off your Add Ons. 

I can't wait to see you later next week!! Until later Stay Inspired!!
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So, I had a dilemma this month.  I have 5 beautiful girls to scrapbook, including pictures I took with them wearing pink and black.  Study Abroad is definitely NOT pink lol!!  What's a girl to do right?!  Well, I decided to scrapbook out of order..... again.  I actually do this all the time because lets face it, not all my current pictures will coordinate with what Clique Kit I'm working with right now.    So, I created a quick pocket page layout with a couple photos of Sari from Kindergarten that I hadn't done.  (It had to be quick this week my friends... all three of my little girls have yucky bronchitis right now!!  BLA!!) These two pictures were outtakes and ones I didn't scrap.  No reason really, other than Sari was making some silly faces.  I guess that made these photos perfect for this month!  I created my layout with my Project Life page protectors.  I added a few of our Clique Kits exclusive printables, along with filling a big pocket with some fabulous Clique Kit Study Abroad sequins and Pink Fresh Studio color block wood veneers.  Short and sweet today CK friends!!  

Thank you for spending your time with us today!!  There's still so much going on behind the scenes here at Clique Kits and our most recent sneaky business was just unveiled this week!  First, we have a sneak peak of our fabulous new Clique Cards!!  It's just $24.99 to pre-order, plus our subscribers save $5 off the kit.  In addition, Clique Cards can be shipped with a subscriber's October kit at no extra shipping charge!

Next up, our exclusive kit to document your holidays, your way!!  Daily, weekly or whenever!!! It's Clique into the Holidays!!  This jam packed, exclusive Clique Kit is only $34.99 to pre-order, plus our subscribers save $5 off the kit!! Clique into the Holidays can be shipped with our subscriber's November kit at no extra shipping charge also. 

That's a wrap for me today friends!!  Time to cuddle with some sick kiddos and give more breathing treatments (sigh).   Stop by tomorrow for another special post from CK girl Erica!!  You're going to love what fun stuff she has in store for you!

Click. Connect. Create.

Are you ready to Study Abroad!  This month we have something pretty cool in store for YOU!  Can you say adventure, Pink Fresh Studio, daring, sequins, overseas and more exclusives??!  Well friends, September's kit is packed with all of that and more.  Today is just a peak into this fabulous, versatile Clique Kit.  Keep a close eye on our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more sneaks and peaks leading up to the big reveal on August 25th!  Don't miss a thing and be sure to follow us on social media and by subscribing to our newsletter!

See you real soon for more Clique Kits style inspiration!

Click.Create.Connect.
The Clique Kits Girls

Happy Easter friends!  This bright pink watercolor look paper with the big white brush stroke "Love"  is such a versatile paper- I love that Debutante does not have a 'theme' and it leaves the creative possibilities wide open! For example, Plus One is in no way an "Easter" collection, but I was able to use it as one. In order to make this an "Easter" page, I followed Jody's tutorial from the other day to die cut some cute felt bunnies. If you missed it, it is here.  If I am going to invest in a collection, I want to know that it will work with any number of themes, and most of all, the everyday stuff! The Clique Kits philosophy is to design kits with this in mind.

I also  used my Amy Tangerine/American Crafts "Duplicate" embossing folder with some vellum to create a unique looking layer. First, I embossed the vellum while at the same time printing with gold letterpress ink right in the embossing folder! This technique does not give a perfect "letterpress" design but does give a random, somewhat distressed looking print. I then went over some of the cameras with my watercolors to add more pops of the colors in my patterned papers.

I have also been getting tons of mileage from the added printables and die cuts in this kit. It still blows my mind how much more I am using Debutante than any other kit I have ever bought!  We wanted Clique Kits to help us move from our old habits of hoarding more supplies than we use, to being efficient, productive, and doing so much scrapping we use our favorite products up!  Judging from Debutante so far- I think we are off to an excellent start! Stay tuned for the Pep Rally when the Clique Kits Gals and the Honor Society will be showing you even more ways to use your kit. It's taking place Wednesday, April 23rd starting here on the blog.  Join us ! 

-x Gia

Hello Clique Kits fans!  Erica here with you today to share a pocket page layout I did yesterday.  Baseball season has started which means my nights will be spent at the baseball fields from now until June!  This year we have two of our kids playing so that will be 4 games a week!  Crafting time will be cut short for this mama but that is ok with me!  Clique Kits has put together kits that make creating quick and simple with coordinating and exclusive products!   

Today I want to share with you what I created yesterday late afternoon right before my son's first baseball game!  I have had these photos of our two youngest boys sitting on my desk and I knew this kit would be a perfect match for the photos!  Debutante has some great black and whites to use as neutrals but also has great pops of color!  The color I wanted to really make pop was the yellow from the swing in the photos!  I knew this kit had a great yellow flair badge that went perfectly and just happens to have the word PLAY on it and the heart shaped colorblock wood veneers with yellow from Pinkfresh Studio are also a perfect match!  Here is a look at my completed pocket page layout!

This style pocket page has room for 4 4x6 photos or cards.  I used two of the 4x6 Clique Kits exclusive journal cards for the top two spots and for the bottom left corner I created my own card using pattern paper from the kit and a white piece of cardstock.  The last 4x6 spot I ended up using the two 3x4 Clique Kits exclusive journal cards together to create one 4x6!  I love how it looks!  These Clique Kits exclusive journal cards are not your typical cardstock journal cards.  They are nice sturdy journal card with a bit of a shine to them!  The quality is amazing and our very own Lacey Gasper has designed each and every one!  I used a regular thin point sharpie to add my journaling and there is no smearing or smudges!  This kit is great for both girl and boy themed projects.  Adding pops of pink instead of the yellow would have made for a very cute girly page for photos of my daughter!  I love that this kit offers the great black and whites and the colorful embellishments so that you can add pops of color where ever your heart desires!  The possibilities are endless with this kit!  Here are a few close ups of my pocket page layout.

Thank you so much for stopping today here on the Clique Kits blog!  I hope you are having as much fun with our first kit as I am!  Please join us next week for our Blog Share featuring Debutante!  We have added a few new items to the Clique Kits shop that coordinate with our first kit that you are just going to love!  So make sure to head on over and check them out!  Also if you missed the sneak peek of our May kit please CLICK HERE to check that out!  I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day!  If you do not already please subscribe to our newsletter and also check us out on Facebook!  

Aloha, its Gia. In early 2011 we were lucky enough to have a job transfer to Hawaii. It was pretty crazy at first- we left our friends and family, packed our bags, and made the journey to paradise!  I had been to Hawaii once before on vacation in 2007, but nothing can really prepare you for such a major change. After living here for over 3 years, we have become like the locals and try to steer clear of the places tourists frequent. We don't go to luaus unless we have visitors, and we have started to take the beach for granted sometimes. But back in the first year it was a different story. And when the kids corresponded with their friends back in the mid west they answered a lot of funny questions, like whether we lived in grass huts !  The kids and I thought it would be funny to take our first Christmas photo in Hawaii in full surf and hula gear.

I had a concern with scrapbooking this photo Christmas card because it was printed on both sides. My husband took one serious shot and one with everybody goofing off- and we decided to use them both when we designed the card. Sadly, the originals were lost in a hard drive that crashed with photos not yet backed up! So, the one or two cards I had leftover were my only copies of these family pics.  I really didn't want to roll adhesive over one side or the other. Then I remembered these photo flips! Problem solved! There are two ways to get them that I know of- one is from the newest Simple Stories releases. Another company that makes them is Close to My Heart ("Flip Flaps").

I wanted to use some of the Debutante sequins as confetti in my pocket. After scooping some inside the pocket I stitched the top closed to prevent them from falling out if my book gets turned topsy turvy! (Which it does whenever the kids look at our scrapbooks.)

I am crazy about the exclusive flair in this kit! Lacey designs our flair and she continues to amaze us! I can't wait for you to see the ones in the May kit also! (I know I know I shouldn't tease like that)

I remember years ago (I can say that since I started scrapbooking in 1990) I would love to read tips in scrapbooking magazines about troubleshooting problems that scrapbookers face. Before digital photography was ubiquitous, we talked about things like how to deal with a not-so-great photo. And how to cover it up if you accidentally spill something on your page. Now ink and paint splats are welcome additions to a layout, and they even make stamps to look like coffee rings! But even with all of this creative license, there will always be new issues to troubleshoot. Have you solved a scrappy problem recently? We would love to hear about it! 
--xGia

More news...
Be sure to stop back tomorrow for a special treat! An exclusive Q & A with Clique Kits' Designer in the Spotlight Amy Tangerine! Not only that, we have a Simple Stories Blog Share on April 9th, and more to come from our fabulous Students of the Month!  Things are really taking off at Clique Kits. If you are not one of the lucky ones who got to subscribe before we sold out-do not fear! You can add your name to our wait list now and guarantee your subscription to start in just a few months! 

Welcome back to the blog for another day of Debutante Week ! Today you are here in the Art Studio with me, Gia!

Do you love color? I do !! We live in such a colorful world, and the fact that there are so many possible hues makes me giddy just thinking about it! Not only can color make me giddy, it can make me feel a lot of different things! Warm or cool, tranquil or energetic, hopeful or sad, whatever the mood-there's a color palette that "speaks" its language visually. Thanks to the internet and websites like Pinterest, it is so easy for creative types to find visual inspiration nowadays, and scrapbookers are no exception.  I decided to show you how I used a mood board to create a layout.

What could be more fun than a little girl twirling in a twirly dress in Springtime? How about two little girls! Here are the three adjectives I used to guide me in my search for an inspiring visual.

1. carefree
2. vibrant
3. sweet

And here is what I came up with:

Even though the dominant color in this layout is my current favorite neutral (grey) with lots of black and white, the colors from the "Pool Party" palette were easy to pull from my kit as they are found throughout Amy Tangerine's Plus One collection and really add that "pop" of color.

 Here is my supply list for this page:

From Debutante kit: Amy Tangerine Plus One patterned papers, Freckled Fawn acrylic arrow, Freckled Fawn glitter star pick, Clique Kits yellow "Play" flair, black triangle/arrow washi tape (which I sliced in thirds to give it a 'lighter' feel), Amy Tangerine Thicker words, yellow sequins, and Pinkfresh Studio yellow color block heart wood veneer.
And a few extras: Handmade crochet heart gifted to me by Lacey Igo Gasper (if we all beg maybe she will make these available to the Clique all the time!) Additional washi tape by Papyrus. Acrylic camera embellishment (exclusive Amy Tangerine embellishment from a class kit.) Pink camera paper clip and transparency 3 x 4 cards from Freckled Fawn. Silver striped vellum from Stampin Up and resin bird from Close to My Heart.

Yesterday, Lacey showed us some ideas for using sketches for inspiration for pocket page cards. I absolutely love making my own cards, don't you? So in case you missed it, check it out here. And now you have seen another easy way to kick it up a notch in no time flat on your layouts by using a mood/palette board with your Clique Kit! 

-xGia