Hi everybody! It's Gia back in the Art Studio today showing you all a layout I made yesterday while celebrating National Scrapbooking Day.  There were so many challenges, online giveaways, and other events taking place it was impossible to take everything in, wasn't it?  I came across a challenge to make a "paperless"  layout. Of course by paperless, they meant patterned paper-less. I decided this would be a good challenge for me, because patterned paper is actually my all time favorite supply. So I don't always make the most budget friendly decisions when it comes to acquiring  the stuff.  It is easy to buy and hoard way, way , WAY more than you need. Know what I'm sayin' ? 

To accomplish this challenge, I turned to my Simple Stories Snap sets which made up the majority of the layout. But I also pulled out a 12 x 12 sticker sheet from last year's I {Heart} Summer line as well as some of the coordinating brads  from my 'leftovers." Here are a few ways I saved money on this layout!

• Using Simple Stories Snap cards in place of cutting in to whole sheets of 12 x 12 paper.
• Checking my stash for previous lines' leftovers that continue to be very usable with this year's new releases! (I don't know if you have noticed this, but some of my favorite designers have been making this possible with this continuity  from one release to the next! My pocketbook thanks them!!)
• I created my own "patterns" free-stylin' it with some watercolor paints which cost me- oh a few drops of water!

Living in Hawaii land of the endless summer I can't seem to get enough summer themed supplies, so I am pretty excited that Simple Stories has two new  Summer Simple Sets, Sea to Shining Sea and Under the Stars coming out, the Summer Snap set, AND coming soon the Good Day Sunshine collection! If you haven't pre-ordered your Summer School Clique Into Summer Limited Edition Kit and Workshop, we really hope you will join us! Pre-order your Burlap Snap Album from us and save 30% this weekend only with our NSD30 coupon.

-xoxo Gia

Happy Tuesday! 
I'm back for another Yearbook Tuesday post! Today I want to share a layout I created using the Debutante kit. At this point in my creating, I was running low on April Debutante product. Of course, I didn't want any piece to go to waste so I created this layout with scraps from the kit that I had left over.  And while doing that, I used a collage of photos of my husband and I throughout the years.

I love how this layout developed and how I was able to use scrappaper, journal cards, die cuts and various elements included in the kit. I enjoyed looking through my photos, finding some new and old that would work together to create a layout that I "cherish".

How do you use your scraps? Do you  make cards, use them on layouts or give them away! Share with us on how you use them!

Thanks for joining me today! Can you believe it is almost May! That means more inspiration and a new fabulous kit! Have a scrap happy day!
xoxo
Lacey

First up, we have the random Blog share hopper prize of a Debutante paper pack (from Amy Tangerine's Plus One collection!) which goes to Renee Joy! She is now a subscriber to the Clique Kits Blog/Newsletter by email and here is her comment:
"Yes, I knew the hop would be awesome!! Great job ladies!! 'Loving all of the inspiration, too!!" -Renee Joy
Renee, please email Clique Kits with your address so we can send your prize right out to you!

As a side note, if you have already subscribed, but have not been receiving our emails even though you have not unsubscribed, please try to subscribe again. I received a notice from Mail Chimp that for a couple of weeks Yahoo was bouncing emails in error, which led to removal from our list. The problem seems to be fixed, but we don't want anyone out of the loop!

Okay, now back to winners!
The winner of the Honor Society Challenge is Mandee Gillen a.k.a Scrappin' Madge! As an optional activity for this share, we challenged participants to share something about themselves either in writing, photos, or on their layouts or projects.

The Clique Kits gals loved the enthusiasm that Madge showed the Clique leading up to and during the blog share. She also took the time to share more about herself in her post (and her cute little Pug doggy child) AND she showed us pictures of her incredible scrapping space! In case you missed the blog share, you should go back and check out all of the inspiration on the blogs who who participated. We were kind of blown away by the talent in our Clique. Just saying'
Here is a slideshow of her awesome mini. She really made the most of the kit using not just the Plus One products, but the exclusive cards, flair, washi tape, Pinkfresh studio color block heart wood veneers, and sequins!  Her project really shows off everything we love about Debutante. Thanks for everything Scrappin' Madge! And thanks to everyone else who joined us at the first Pep Rally! Looking forward to many more to come (with more chances for YOU to be a winner.)

--xoxoThe Clique Kits Gals Gia,Jody,Erica,Lacey

Welcome to the PEP Rally! 

Today's event is brought to you by our Honor Society with special guests, our Students of the Month (Guest Designers) for April-the fabulous Danielle de Konink and Brooke Petermann!
We have an awesome blog share to show off projects made by our subscribers using our debut kit Debutante.  As an optional challenge, we are getting to know each other better by sharing something about ourselves in our posts!  If you are visiting here today and do not know about us yet, please sign up to follow us by email! You will receive an email notification whenever there is a new blog post plus a newsletter whenever there are special events, sales, and announcements! Feel free to learn more about us here, as we have openings for new subscribers for June! One of many great perks is getting to participate in these monthly blog shares and earning product credits for doing so! 
Without further ado, here is the list of blogs to visit. 

Clique Kits
Gia
Jody
Erica
Lacey
Danielle
Brooke
Madge
Gina
Charity
Rosann

Everyone who comments on each blog and follows us by email will be entered to win our blog share prize. This months prize package is an Amy Tangerine Plus One Paper Set.  There are exclusive printables and die cuts still available with numerous other items  in the April School Store. The challenge winner will receive an additional 5 honor credits bringing their total for this blog share to 10! Eeek! We will announce the winners here on the blog on Sunday, April 27th.

And now here are some Pep Rally cheers for people Clique Kits wish to thank for helping us to have such an amazing debut this month!
Amy Tangerine- for being our Designer in the Spotlight and inspiring us with her Plus One collection.
Simple Stories- for their friendship and ongoing support!
Pinkfresh Studio- for the fabulous embellishments and inspiring products we love to include in our kits!
Freckled Fawn- for more amazing and unique embellishments, and for including us in their listing of small businesses.
And of course the new friends we have made and welcomed into the Clique so far! 
Can we get a great big T-H-A-N-K-S ! And thanks to you for joining us today. Now enjoy the blogs and the inspiration you will find there! 

--xoxo The Clique Kits Gals

I'm back again with another series of journal card sketches and samples using the April 2014 Debutante Kit! I really enjoy making one-of-a-kind journal cards for my albums. They are personalized for me, my style and my projects! 

These four journal cards really give you endless possibilities to create dynamic journal cards for your pocket page albums, layouts or even use them to inspire your next card creation! Here is how I took these sketches to the scrapbook desk!

Here are all four cards together! These cards add a lot of personality to my page protector album!

Punch with a circle (or shape punch) sections of a pattern paper. Apply an epoxy sticker on top to add a personalize flair style image to your journal card, layout or cards!

Have you seen all the great announcements in the last few days? If you missed it, here is a run down!
1. We have subscription slots open starting June 2014! Be sure to sign-up before it's too late, under store - Subscriptions.
2. Join the Clique Kits gals and the Kit club Subscribers (Honor Society), TOMORROW, April 23rd for the April Kit blog share! Start here at the Clique Kits blog. The share begins at 10am CST (8am PST, 9am MST, 11am EST).
3. Have you seen the MAY Sneak peeks? Head over to our Facebook page or Instagram page to see some sneak peeks of our NEXT kit!

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you have a scrap happy day!
Lacey

We are so excited to have not just ONE guest designer but TWO this month to help launch our kit club! We already shared some projects from Danielle, now lets get to know Brooke! We fell in love with Brooke's page protector pages! Look how she used this method of documenting life with our April Kit - Debutante!

BROOKE: My husband and I were married in June of 2010.  We honeymooned in Jamaica immediately following the wedding.  When we returned from Jamaica, I promptly got to work sorting through wedding photos and getting all of my favorites out of digital files and into actual albums. 

And then, life started rolling along and I somehow forgot to ever scrapbook our time in Jamaica.  

When I saw the Debutante kit, I immediately knew that it would be a perfect fit for scrapbooking our honeymoon.  The bright colors and bold patterns mesh so beautifully with our beach and foliage photos.  Many of the sentiments on the cards, thickers and other embellishments seemed to call out to be used in a honeymoon album. 

Four years and two kids later, I can't tell you how much fun it was to look back through these photos.  Creating the album also provided some good reminiscing with Brian as I worked to fill in my journaling with specific details from our trip.  

This kit was so much fun to work with.  I used a bit of almost everything - papers, journaling cards, wood veneers, thickers and badges.  

I have always been jealous of albums with sequin-filled see-through pockets.  I thought it wasn't possible for me since I don't know how to use my sewing machine, but I decided to try filling a pocket with wood veneers and hand sewing with embroidery floss.  Guess what.  It worked!  And, I love how it turned out.

Although I wish I would have recorded more details of our trip immediately after our arrival home, I think it was worth it to wait to put the album together.   More journaling would have been nice, but I think the album does a good job of capturing the spirit of our trip.  Working with these photos gave me so much joy and brought back many happy memories that can now be relived each time we flip through this album.  

And, I'm not done putting this kit to good use.  Little bits have been finding their way into several of my weekly Project Life pages and later this week I will share one weekly layout that is exclusively made with this kit.  Thanks so much, Clique Kit girls!  

CLIQUE KITS: Brooke also shared this awesome video below showing spreads in the album she created using the April Kit! ENJOY!

Thanks for being one of our Students of the Month, Brooke!! To see more of Brooke's work check out our April Kit Blog Share this Wednesday, April 23! Starting right here at the Clique Kits blog at 10am CST. 

We also have a special announcement today, so be sure you are a fan of our Facebook page and see the previous post today (located below!)

Have a Scrap happy day!

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!  

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?

I am obsessed with instagram. I love to take photos with my phone and share them in the online gallery. I love to look at other peoples photos and see what they are up to that day. One of my main subjects is my puppy baby, Spock. 

Another thing I like about instagram is that I have square photos. I love using these photos sizes for my layouts and projects. They are already cropped how I want them and I just have to print them off (either at home or online, I use Shutterfly). I love to printing my photos in 4x4, 3x3 or 2x2. They make great featured images on a project!

Today, I'm sharing a layout using our April Kit - Debutante! This layout came together in less then 30 minutes, actually more like 20 minutes.  I love when layouts come together like that! Of course, this is a layout of my sweet little guy! I used the strips at the bottom of the Amy Tangerine - Plus One papers to add texture and visual interest the to background of my layout. I ADORE this large strip paper as well. I focused on using black and white with the pops of aqua and te small pop of green in the paper strip.

Here is a close up of the paper strips, the awesome acrylic arrow from Freckled Fawn and those fantastic foam stickers from the kit! I also used the 3x4 die cut to create some interest as well! 

Thanks for stopping by this Saturday and joining me! It's been such a fun and busy week here at Clique Kits, with our blog share, blog posts from Amy Tan herself and our April Guest Designer - Danielle! We have so much in store for you in the future as well! We've had planning meetings this week and are getting VERY giddy to start showing you the May kit!! Thanks for all your support! If you want to join our club, please join the wait list - located in our store under "subscription."

Have a scrap Happy DAY!
Lacey