Step 4. Apply glitter glue over the painted designs to add a touch of sparkle to the finished project.

I hope I have inspired you to use cut files in a different way! Happy Holidays!

Clique International Supplies:
Holiday Phrases Cut File
Thank You Jar Cut File
Just Chillin' Cut File
Merry & Bright Wreath Cut File
Amy Tangerine Brave and Bold Watercolor Set
Nuvo Brilliantly Vibrant Watercolor Pencils

Other Supplies: Bark Edge Wood Plank: Walnut Hollow; Stickles Glitter Glue: Ranger; Carbon Paper 
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Hi friends! Dana here today sharing a fun tutorial that uses a digital cut file as a template for wood burning. Some days I feel like the only crafter who doesn't own an electronic cutting machine. I often click through the Digitals Section of the Clique Shop to admire, with a bit of envy, all the super cool designs that are available. I selected the FREE You & Me Digital Cut File and processed it in a fun old school way. I resized and printed the .PNG file, and after a little bit of hand tracing using carbon paper (gasp!), I was ready to design with a digital file for the first time. Once I burned the letters onto a small wood plaque, I colored the piece with watercolors that I made with Lindy's Magical Shakers. I added a clip-on hook to create a key holder to share with my husband.
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Step 1. Resize the .PNG digital cut file to fit the project surface and print. I chose a 4.5 inch wood circle plaque for the base of my project. I like the size and these small wood plaques are inexpensive, less than $2 at the craft store. Place a piece of carbon paper, black side down, under the printed cut file pattern and trace around the image with a pencil.

Step 2. Use a wood burning tool to burn over the pencil lines. I needed to change tips to burn the smaller detailed areas. If you don't have a wood burning tool, try completing this step with a marker or paint pen.

Here's the completed burned design before color.

Step 3. Create watercolors by adding a small amount of Lindy's Magical powdered dye to water. Use a waterbrush or wet paintbrush to first wet the plaque with plain water. Wet wood absorbs color much better than dry wood. Color the plaque with watercolors. Don't worry about color bleeding! Once the plaque dries, dip a wet brush directly into the powdered dye and cover up any unwanted color on the plaque with more concentrated color.

Here's my plaque after coloring. The Lindy's Magical Shakers contain a low key shimmer so there is a fantastic subtle sparkle to this finished piece!

Step 4. Add a clip-on or screw hook to the top of the plaque and hang to help organize small items.

​Hello everybody!
It's Isa today on the blog and I am thrilled to present you a new project made by one of the collections of the moment: Imagine, designed by Wilma Rodriguez for Mintopia Studio. It is one of my favorite Spanish brands and for me it's such an honor to work with them for international sites!! 

On today's post I will show you a layout I've made with papers of the collection and die cuts, playing with watercolors and the layers of papers. You can find the collection and other products from Mintopia here.
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To start with the project, I made a background with different colors and sets of watercolors. I love them and I love using them for creating backgrounds. I made different drops of paint of different sizes. It is very easy to make once you have it under control, it's just learning how to play with the brush and water and let the magic begin! I used the colors that appear on the papers and die cuts that I use. What I like about this collection is that it has endless combinations of colors. 

​For the layering of the project I have used scraps of paper that I had once I finished a mini album that you will see very soon with this collection. I didn't think much about cutting or measuring them. I always take the picture as my reference and then I start building the cluster of papers behind it. I put some vellum too, thread of different colors (yellow, pink and white) and then to decorate some die cuts and puffy stickers from the collection. 

​For the title of the layout I have used the alphabet of the Imagine collection itself. It's puffy and all the letters have different colors so it combines with mostly everything! 

​I hope you liked this new layout and I hope that you create beautiful things with such beautiful collection. See you real soon with new projects! Take care. Love,
​Isa

Hi guys!

It's Jodie here with you today, sharing a TN spread made with the November Seneca Falls Main Kit.

I decided to play with a little mixed media and the beautiful Leafy Wreath cut file from the CK digital shop on this spread.

The first thing I do when playing with mixed media is to prep my cardstock or patterned paper.  I really like clear gesso for this, even on white cardstock, but you can also use white gesso as well.  The gesso essentially seals the cardstock so that the fibres don't absorb the liquid in the media and warp.  It also provides some 'tooth' (grittiness) for the media to adhere to.  Once this is applied and has dried, you're good to go with adding some colour!

I mixed some watercolours to match the pink in the Amy Tangerine Shine On collection that's featured in the kits this month, and used the packaging technique to apply this in the general area that I was going to place my cut file.  Then I added some splatters in the same pink.  I dried this off with a heat tool and then repeated the process with a yellow to match the flowers in the collection, and Sophie's shirt in the photo.  

Finally I added just a few tiny splatters in black watercolour to tie everything in, since there is so much black in each of my top left and bottom right clusters.

Once I was finished with my mixed media I adhered the cut file to the page. 

I know fussy cutting is not for everyone, but I just love it!  And the Bouquet patterned paper in the kit is full of beautiful blooms waiting to be fussy cut.  I trimmed one out to sit at the top of this cute tag that holds my journalling, which for this spread is really just the date and location where the photo was taken. I also trimmed out a bunch of smaller individual flowers to scatter across the page.

For the bottom cluster I fussy cut some more flowers and placed them both behind and in front of my photo.  I used some of the corrugated black cardstock from the kit to layer behind my photo.  I really liked how this turned out because it framed my photo and also added extra dimension to my spread with the corrugations in the cardstock.

I used one of the sticker phrases and a rubber word for my title, and called this one done!

I hope I've inspired you to try out some mixed media in your projects today, or even to bring out your scissors and try some fussy cutting.

Thanks for stopping by today, and remember we'd love to see your projects made with your Clique Kits over on The Clique Facebook page.

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 Gia! I don't know if you heard this, but watercolors are a hot trend in paper crafting right now! I love to paint my own scrapbooking layout backgrounds with watercolors and today I am going  to show you a resist technique using stamps and embossing powder. 

First I stamped a feather pattern with a clear embossing ink pad. Then I sprinkled white embossing powder over the page and tapped the excess off. I used a heat tool to set the embossed feathers. Finally, I painted with my watercolors over the whole page in an ombre pattern with darker pink at the bottom.

Some of the My Mind's Eye Market Street journaling cards in the Glam Camp kit  were the perfect complement to my watercolor background with a similar soft watercolor look. 

I love the exclusive flair in this kit, and also used one of the extras in the School Store- the My Mind's Eye enamel dots. The arrow die cut was one of the cut files in this kit, and the transparency  is from the Studio Calico Wanderlust acetate card set.

I love how painting a background really stretches your supplies and achieves a totally different look. I hope you will give watercolors a try if you haven't already. The Clique Kits watercolor art set is a great way to get started right now, and is on sale for an additional 25% off by using the coupon code AUGUST25 at checkout. Thanks for joining me in the Art Studio today! 

-xGia