Hello Lovelies! Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Clique Kits! Theresa here to share a really fun layering page I made, using the Love Stories kit! I was inspired to use the tags included in the ephemera pack and on one of the cut apart sheets, which are from Crate Paper La La Love. Have a look at the layout I created.
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I have been seeing so many layouts using cascading elements, it is quite the trend these days! And when I saw all the tags in the kit, I knew I wanted to use them all on my layout. Tags + cascading elements is an excellent combination!
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I started at the bottom when creating the layers, and added one on top of the other. I recommend removable adhesive so you can move things around. I tried to alternate colors and type with patterned cards so the page was balanced. 
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Some of the tags are adhered directly to the card stock, and others are adhered using different dimensional pop dots. Not only are there so many amazing layers, but even among the layers there are different heights that show the fun elements peeking out!
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My favorite tag might be the glitter tag, because every layout needs a bit of black and glitter. I tied the glitter tag to the red tag beneath it, and then angled the glitter on purpose so it stands out a bit from the norm. That definitely ties in with our photo!
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The photo is of me and our daughter Natalie, and in it we are being so silly. I wrote in my journaling about how I feel about her these days, as she is coming into greater awareness about the world around her. I love making these layouts special love letters to our children that they will one day look back on and treasure.
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For my title I chose to use some of the scalloped word strips, because they are a unique shape and stand out against the rigid edges of the tags. This layout was so much fun to create! Thank you for following along with me today, I hope you are inspired to use up your tags in your kits. See you again soon! 
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Hello friends, Theresa here with another fun travel layout using the December Rainbow kit! Back in 2015 we took a weekend trip to Savannah and St. Simons Island, so I was inspired to create a layout for my son Nick's album. Here is my layout.
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I began my layout with the best part, the photos, which I printed at 3 inches square with white borders. In my head I was thinking two photos with paper strips behind it, so I pulled out what I had from the kit. Papers, ephemera, everything. I pulled two paints I had, Spun Sugar and Mowed Lawn from Tim Holtz, and splattered a bit of them onto the black and white patterned paper.
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Once I had my background dried, I laid out my photos and gathered some of the ephemera pieces from the Fancy Pants pack. I chose favorites that expanded the color palette of the layout. The title word Adventure stood out to me, so I began to add to that for my entire title. It needed a home base to stand out against, so the patterned paper strips came in handy here. I've used the alphabet Thickers in the kit to finish out the title, and popped the word Adventure up using pop dots.
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Once the title was down, everything else was just gravy on top! I adhered all the fun bits and pieces that I love and that were able to be tucked in behind photos, around the title, anywhere that needed a little pop of color. Each piece that I added tells a part of this story: it was a road trip that we took at the spur of the moment (hence the Just Wingin' It die cut), we drove down in the car (hence the car die cut!) and just did whatever we felt like doing, and we discovered some really awesome things along the way.
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Besides the ephemera I also have journaling, both stamped and hand written. I used the labels in the kit from Pretty Little Studio to add my hand written words. This place on St. Simon's Island, GA is home to the famous Lighthouse that Eugenia Price has written about in her historical novels. If you're looking for interesting reads about the south, look her up. Our kids had so much fun touring the grounds and climbing to the top of the lighthouse. My stamped sentiment is from the One Canoe Two rotary stamp and my date stamp is an old one from Target I've had for a few years now. Here is one last look at my layout.
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Thank you so much for following along with me today on this fun adventure on St. Simons Island! See you again soon!
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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!!

Welcome back for our Clique Kits Student of the Month, Katie Smith's second post this month!!  She's back today with some wonderful projects for us.  I love how she mixed all the Glam Camp patterns from the My Minds Eye Market Street papers in each of her fun projects.  Katie really captured the essence of these beautiful Market Street patterns and combined them beautifully with the earthy textures and glam in Glam Camp.

Katie also rocked out the Lawn Fawn Wish You Were Here stamp set, found HERE in our Clique Kits school store.  You'll see the arrows, hearts, "wish you were here" and the fabulous states stamp.

And now for Katie's layouts!!  I just adore how she used a pen to accent the elements on her pages and how she added her handwritten journaling.  Outlining letter stickers really gives them some more dimension and makes them pop right off your page!  Such great details from Katie here. 

A huge Clique Kits thank you to Katie Smith for playing along with Glam Camp this month and sharing her creative spirit with all of us.  You can check out Katie's blog here and see more of her there.

Click.Connect.Create.

The Clique Kits Girls

Hey everyone!  Erica here with you today to talk about using busy, bold and fun papers on your layouts!  I tend to use white cardstock as my base for layouts or a very subtle paper as my layout base but I always admire when other scrabookers use the busy patterns in their layouts!  So today I am sharing a layout I created using a beautiful polka dot paper from My Minds Eye that is included in the August 2014 kit.  

Now this may not be busy for some scrapbookers but for me this would normally be cut up and used as a layer piece in my layouts but today I went for it and used it as my base!  Once my layout was complete and I stuck everything down and committed to using it I really did love how it looked!  

To keep my main focal point from looking like it was just floating on the page I adhered two strips of solid paper along the top and the bottom of my page.  This helps to ground your layout and give it more of a complete look.  I also used some cork embellishment from my stash to try and create a visual triangle to help your eye move around the page.  

You can see I also stamped out some tiny hearts from the Lawn Fawn stamp set Wish You Were Here pretty close to the cork embellishments.  The Fancy Pants corrugated paper adds some texture to my layout along with the May Arts string that was also included in this months kit!  Using busier backgrounds as a base for me will take some getting use to but I am up for the challenge!  How about you?  Do you love using a busy pattern paper as your base?  Feel free to leave your tips and tricks in the comments section below if you would like share!  I challenge you to pull out your busiest pattern paper and have some fun!  Share with us on Facebook or upload to our Flickr gallery!  If you are a subscriber and using one of your kits please upload to our Pinterest group board!  I am looking forward to seeing what you all share with us!  Thanks so much for stopping today!  I really hope you enjoyed my layout today as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you!  Our 25% off sale is still going on and some products in our store are already marked down so this is the perfect time to get some great deals on some fabulous products!  Enjoy your day!


Products used today
August 2014 Glam Camp Kit
My Minds Eye Enamel Dots
Lawn Fawn Wish You Were Here Stamp Set
July 2014 Kit

Today I want to share a few cards I created with the May kit - Field Trip. I have two short tutorials as well showing how I put two of the cards together. There will be lots of pictures so lets get started!

Shaker cards have been around for quite some time now. I just want to show you how I made this particular shaker card.

The next step-by-step is shorter. I just want to show you the elements I picked for a journal card to make it my own. As you see below, I set out some embellishments that I considered using on the card and they played around with where I wanted to place these elements. Working with different shapes and sizes.

I loved how many journal cards came with the May kit! So of course I found ways to use them. I used them creating journal cards as well as cards.

I also love to make cards with scraps of the kit. The card below I used a Studio Calico Acetate Sheet to help enhance the pieces of this kit I found laying around. I paired it with a bubble word (which will be available in the Clique Kits store soon!)

There you have it! There are so many uses for the bits and pieces of your kits as well and uses for journal cards to really make them your own and fit your projects and personality! 

Lacey

Before you go! Here is a quick view into our June kit - Show & Tell! June subscriptions still available. The kit will go into our shop tomorrow to be purchased as a single kit.

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

I love buying and creating 3 x 4 journaling cards. I'm always looking for different ways to use them and incorporate them into my projects, beyond pocket protectors! I love the 3 x 4 cut apart cards included in the Clique Kits - Debutante Kit this month! They are so funky fun! I couldn't wait to cut them apart and create a layout centered around these fantastic cards!

As you can see I used the cards as elements on the layout! I layered papers, cards, Clique Kits die cuts (available now in store), and embellishments to create this fun layered layout! This is a great way to use your journal cards and small sections and scraps of paper. If you don't like side A of the journal card, there is always side B, which is typically an awesome pattern you always hate wasting. 

How do you use your 3x4 journal cards? Do you scrapbook with them beyond a page protector?

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