Hello Hello! I'm so happy to be joining you today for the Locker Room post here at Clique Kits!
Show of hands...Who gets a deer in the headlights look when they create the first one or two layouts with a brand new kit? And...who here is a boy mom like me and needs a way to make a more feminine kit work for our boys?? If you answered yes to either question..I've got some tips and tricks that I use to help you out!
 The Rhapsody kit initially looks like a pretty girly kit...but wait, don't dismiss it right away...let's look closer... there is some lovely royal blue and aqua shades, lots of cute birds and phrases...perfect for a story about a little boy and his dog....and if this is only your first or second layout with this kit..I say go with a limited color scheme...in my case I pulled all the blues and greens and greys from the kits along with some black and white pieces and made a pretty pile of goodies that weren't too overwhelming but still left me plenty to play with...

I wanted to keep my layout clean so I borrowed a fun hidden journaling idea from a good scrappy friend and added some hidden journaling.....

And some lovely gold splatters to set off my title were the perfect finishing touch....
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Here is  a process video that includes some more tips and how I created my layout start to finish.
Thank you so much for popping in to say hello!
​Have A Lovely Day!

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!!

Hello Clique fans! Here is Réka and today I am sharing my first card created with the beautiful December Main Kit.

This card is very simple and easy but also so cute too!

Let’s start to create it!
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First step was to trim the Dear Lizzy: Stargazer - Sun Setting paper to measure 9” inch wide and 5 ¾” inch long and score and fold in half to create a card blank.
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​After cover the card front with a 4 1/8” x 5 ½” inch piece of white cardstock. I have embossed the white cardstock using the leaves embossing folder from my stash. I have also make some pink and green watercolor splash. You don’t forget to can find some  Prima Watercolor paint refills in the shop and remember you can use my code Reka10 to get 10% off your total purchase.

The next step was to sew around the card with my sewing machine.

Finally, I have added some die cut pieces from Dear Lizzy: Stargazer - Copper Foil Ephemera pack and fussy cut the tree and the flowers from Dear Lizzy: Stargazer - Woodland Wonder paper.
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And done! I really like how it turned out.
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I hope you liked my card. Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful crafty day!
​See you next month! Réka

Don't be afraid to pop up those chipboard stickers, enamel embellishments and die cuts either.  Look how cool it looks when it's lifted a little higher off your page.  The chipboard stars and number are from an older Dear Lizzy line, but they worked in very well with the Simple Stories background paper and other page elements.

Hellloooo everyone!  Jody here today with a boy layout!  Seriously!!  I scrapbooked about this little blue-eyed charmer, our nephew Wyatt.  Not only did I create a boy layout {for once, lol} I challenged myself to get it done~fast!  My nights are super busy these days and sometimes all I get is 15-30 minutes to create.  So, on Sunday night I did this entire layout in 28 minutes.  The key... I didn't fuss over it.  Oh, and don't you just want to squeeze Wyatt's cheeks!!!

Here's the play-by-play for todays 30 minute dash ~ I started with a 12x12 Amy Tangerine paper from her Cut & Paste line.  This paper design has the upper 3/4 of the paper being an off-white and the bottom 1/4 being pink, red and yellow striped.  I wanted to cover up the pink stripe on the background paper completely, so I used the nifty blue edge stripes on ends of 12x12 papers no-a-days.  Such a clever thing the paper companies did to create less waste!  No more pink, just like that.

Next, I laid out Wyatt's photo closer to the bottom quarter of the page and trimmed the red and white dot paper to 6.5" by 4.5".  I placed it behind the photo and tilted it.  Then, I surrounded Wyatt with fun arrows, a glassine envelope filled with blue metallic sequins and gold stars, some fun word elements cut from the papers and a handmade journaling card by Lacey!!  I didn't putz with these elements, I placed them and left them alone.  I know that's tough for many of us to do, but give it a tray!  Our clever Clique Kits girl, Lacey, sewed some fabric scraps right onto a 3x4 lined journaling card for sweet handmade look.  It works perfectly to add some texture and interest to Wyatt's layout.

You'll also see some ink splatter in areas.  I used some Studio Calio Mr. Huey's in Pinstripe, which is a medium grey.  I really like this color when I want just a little ink and nothing too dramatic.  Don't overthink it when you splatter your ink.  Just unscrew the spray nozzle and give it a little shake over the general area.   If you've never used ink before I'd encourage you give it try!  If you don't want ink in a certain spot, like your photo, just place a piece of scrap paper over it.  Then, just let the ink fall where is may!

Here's a closer look at the sewed journaling card by Lacey, who also sent us CK girls some awesome crochet hearts.  You also saw the crochet hearts in Gia's Art Studio post, which you can find HERE, just in case you missed it :)

Below , check out all the strips of papers and words.  The "Moments Documented" strip and the blue grid just above it are those edge pieces I mentioned earlier.  If you haven't been using them, look at the ends of your patterned papers and give it a try. Sometimes one side has the actual barcode on it, but then the other side is very usable!  The yellow strip with the days of the week is another edge strip, which I popped up using some foam adhesive.

This has been another Locker Room play-by-play from me.  As Lacey shared yesterday, we'd love to see your Clique Kits inspired projects on our Facebook page! 

As we've said before, our kits are being designed so they can be used for boys and girls.  Often times, one side of a 12x12 paper is girly with the opposite side being neutral or more boyish.  Our goal is to make our kits usable for everyone, regardless if you have 5 girls like me, all boys & a both like many scrapbookers out there!  Clique Kits is designed by us, for you.  There are still a few subscriptions available so get yours before we sell out!  Go HERE to check out the subscription nitty gritty.  You can subscribe by going HERE, which is our Clique Kits Store Front.  You'll also see new Simple Stories collection packs and SN@P Sets for sale!  If you're still on the fence and have questions, please ask us!

Keep you your mobile devices handy this Friday, February 21st for another Clique Kits blog share, featuring Amy Tangerine!!

See ya then!
~ Jody

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