Field Notes: Follow Your Rainbow or Sunset

Aloha My scrappy Friends!! It’s Hannah with you today. When I started scrapbooking I was hooked on Mixed Media. When I made a layout it always had a variety of media on it, and I may have went a little crazy. It really appealed to me in the no rules aspect. It really helped me grow and learn about about as a scrapbooker. This journey is one of the most important for a memory keeper. It helps you forage the way you end up telling your story, in the way you need to do. This is whether or not you yourself add media to your projects.

As I started growing and leaning towards cleaner layouts, I did less and less media. My products sitting lonely in my mixed media drawer.

Lately though I really have been itching to play around and get dirty. Literally. I think Mixed media is like riding a bike, once you get the hang of it and into the groove you get better with time.

Today I am going to be using the May Sorbet kit with add ons from the store to be making my Travelers Notebook. I wanted this size because I think sometimes it is a good place to start, a smaller size to fill up.

Also I hope you take quick look of the new Travelers Notebook Kit that is being added to Clique Kits. It matches the main kit and has tons of goodies play with it your Travelers Notebooks or even adding to your main kit.

 

Let’s look at what I made. I am not going to lie, this spread was my nemesis!! A real labor of love. No matter what I did, I was not sure how I felt. When I am using mixed media products I really use my gut feeling to help guide through the creating process. I think this is quite different approach from just making a layout or other memory keeping project.

Here are some tips to remember about Mixed Media :

It almost always looks bad before it looks really good.  I think this is because layers is the key. Sometimes a stencil gets smudge a little, or a paint splatter is bigger than you thought.

When making my layout I had tried using the cut file Maryam had designed, and adding that right to the page.  It was just too much paper on all the paint I had added.  I actually used my cut file to trace the triangles on top of my paint. splotches.

These splotches are through my layout and I used Shimmerz Acri-tonez in hot pink (it dry so fast and I don’t have to add gesso before, which is nice when I don’t have extra steps.) and gold paint.

When you mess up you can always cover it up.  Sometimes a stencil doesn’t leave a clear image, or you smudge paint before it dries.  When I make a mistake I always try to remember that I can always cover it up with an embellishment or photo. This helps take the pressure off so I don’t have to stress about it being perfect. Mixed Media is all about having fun and experimentation.

Also if you really screw things up, you can always start over again on a fresh new page or cover it with gesso. Since mixed media is about the layers adding gesso and another layer of paint or media it will add an unique twist to your spread.

On my spread I used a doily I had left over from last month’s kit and used it as a layer under my photo. I layered a piece of card stock with the Pretty Little Studio washi strips. I placed these over an area where my silkscreen didn’t transfer my gold paint very well.

I love the way that tab from the exclusive printable looks under my photo with some hearts from Pink Fresh Studio. The gold mirror heart was in the Add on store, and these pieces are so cute. They really help tie in all the gold I used on the background.

Mixed Media is about art expression, use things you love.  When you love the techniques, colors, products, tools or embellishments, it will show on your spread. Playing and learning is part of mixed media, but in the end the things you love that you add to your project really set your page from just okie to a LOVE page.  You may not love every page you make, but using products and elements you love will give you pieces that you love too.

On the page I made I really was eyeing the Freckled Fawn clips. They are so bold and fun. They really make a statement. I layered them with a cut part from one of the papers from the Main Kit and a stamped image I popped off the page. I stamped the image, with the Pink Fresh Studios stamp set,  on white card stock and cut it out. Adding pop dots to give it dimension off the page and making the image more of the focal point. Especially with stamped or written phrases on the inside.

Also layered under the clip was a gold doily from my stash, gold thread and some of the exclusive sequins for this month. They match this kit so well, and the flower sequins looked so cute inside my rainbow.

I added some Pretty Little Studio block alphas to finish my title and finished this cluster up with a gold mirror heart.

 

My last tip for mixed media, is Have Fun and Play, Play, Play.  Mixed media is about expression and when you aren’t having fun it shows. If you aren’t having fun, you won’t want to come back to it later. Just let go and have fun playing.

Playing and practicing also makes a difference. It will help you get better and get a feel for the techniques you get quickly and the ones you need to work on if that is the media you want to use.

These Maggie Holmes butterflies in the Add on section in the store are so fun. They worked perfectly with my spread because it’s about change. Embracing the change an flying high with it.

Here is a look at my full spread.  It’s not perfect, but in the journey of making this I really embraced it. I really kept trying until I got a look I was happy with. Even if I had to take up things off the page three or 4 times.

I hope this week you give some thought in how you can add some fun and play mixed media to you spreads. Even little things like adding some modeling paste to a journaling card, or splatter some color ink on white card stock before you start layering papers.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for this weekend, for international Scrapbooking Day, May 6th. We will be hosting tons of amazing challenges to play along in. There will be lots of chatting, scrapbooking and prizes!!

 

 

 

April Clique Kits Pep Rally

Welcome! Please join us today for the April Instagram share. We hope to inspired you with a variety of projects using the April Jellybean kit. Here’s how this works; it’s very simple.

Subscribers are eligible to earn free product credits for participating in the Pep Rally via Instagram. Participation is a very relaxed commitment on a month by month basis. Simply email marketing@cliquekits.com by the 15th of the month to have your credits recorded. Subscribers may earn 5 credits (1 credit=$1) for each month they participate. If you end up not participating- we lash you with wet noodles. (Kidding.) We simply skip over your points that month. Credits are cumulative as long as you are still a subscriber! Sound good so far?

What do you do once you sign up? This is really straightforward too. We hope this step by step instruction covers what you do, who is eligible to win a prize, and what the prizes are.

Step 1: Take pictures of projects you created using the monthly kit (please use a minimum of 80% kit and add on products so that the inspiration provided for the Clique is kit-focused.) You can do this anytime during the month- but be sure your photos post before 10 am CST on Pep Rally Day.

Step 2: On or before Pep Rally day, join the event on Facebook and Instagram by sharing on Facebook with your friends and tagging them on Instagram letting them know that each name tagged is entered to win a gift certificate to spend in the CK shop!

Step 3: Use the Instagram search tool with the keywords specified in the Hashtags and enjoy the eye candy! Leave some love for all your friends!

Step 4: Tune in to Clique Kits for announcements of the monthly Pep Rally participant winner selected to win an additional $10 product credit to spend in the Clique Kits store!

And without further ado, here are the hashtags. The first 3 are the same every month. The last two will obviously change each month.

#Click_Connect_Create

#CKPepRally

#CliqueKits

#CKAprilKit

#CKJellyBean

Here is a sneak peek at some of the projects that our Design Team has created for the hop!

And before you run off to check out the beautiful projects by our Varsity Team and Subscribers, here is the May Kit!

Now get out there and get inspired because there are tons more where these came from! We love our subs and followers, and our community is growing every day. We are so thankful for you and hope you have fun!

Guest Contributor – Angie Pond

Happy Monday everyone!!  We have been so thankful this month to have our April Guest Contributor Angie Pond sharing so much inspiration with us!  Today I have another layout Angie created using the April kit!  Make sure to follow Angie on her blog to see more of her fabulous work!  Now lets get into her layout using the April kit and the fabulous printables designed by Creative Director Gia Lau!

For the April challenge, I drew inspiration from the different blocks of paper that are shown in the sketch. I used many of the beautiful papers from the Jelly Bean kit and treated each block of patterned paper almost like it’s own little layout.

I used one of the exclusive cut files under my photo. I cut it on white card stock and painted it with watercolors. Then I simply cut it apart and used it as an additional layer under the cute photo of my nephew on his first Easter. 

Most of the embellishments on my layout are from the printable files that come with the kit each month. I adore that cute bunny and I even used the “Happy Easter” printable as my title.

The flags in the upper left block of my layout are from the printables as well and they make a great addition along with my journaling.

In the section where my title is, I hand cut a few clouds and used that printable doily shape almost like a sun. The pink cloud comes from one of the Bella Blvd. clips that came in the kit. I simply cut the clip part off and adhered it to my layout.

I did some stamping on the block with the pink polka dots. I used just some black ink and a circle outline stamp to add some more interest to the paper. I pair the word labels and the circles from the exclusive printables with a few enamel dots from the kit to complete that section of the layout.

Thank you Angie for another awesome project using the April 2017 Kit!!   I love all the details in your page and love how you used the exclusives!!  Here is a look at Angie’s completed layout!

Thank you all so much for stopping by today!  Please remember to leave Angie some love down below!  We still have a few April kits left in the shop right now and we also have a great kit sale going on!!  Have a wonderful day!

Yearbook: Beautiful

Hey CK friends! I’m here to share my third project made using the beautiful April 2017 Jellybean Kit. For today’s layout I wanted to document a photo with flowers, so I thought in the flower’s paper that came in the kit.

What I’ve done was fussy cut some of the flowers, and put them on the left side of my page. Then, around the flowers I created a cluster of embellishments, including enamel shapes, some leaves cuts, etc.

Here are some close-ups:

My title for this layout was “beautiful”. I chose it because the flowers of the photo are just beautiful. I don’t like so much to take flowers photos but I this one just stole my heart.

The journaling is about where I took the photo and how much I love that place.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. And don’t forget to document those simple things or moments that we have in our lives.

Happy Sunday!

Mixed Media Monday On Youtube: Playing along with the April Challenge

Aloha My Scrappy Friends!! It’s Hannah with you today. I am using the April “Jelly Bean” Kit to make this Pocket Page Spread today.

This pocket Page Spread I made for the April Challenge using Latina Crafter Stamps. I had a small almost 3X4 size alpha stamp. It is the perfect size for Pocket Page cards or smaller titles. From the minute I saw the stamp I know this was how I would use it. Let me tell you, it was fun, I had a hard time not using this stamp on every card in my spread.

For my pocket page spread, I am doing it monthly. This means for me, I just think about filling pockets. I don’t worry about having two protectors per week. This means that some protectors have two or three days and some have more. This all depends on what is going on in my week. This time period I am documenting is March 1 and 2nd 2017. I am using Design A and then I add a 6X12 protector to go with the one side of the Design A. There was a lot going on at the beginning of the month and I also like to make sure I have enough journaling for my pictures.

I also like to really pretty cards in my pockets especially when I use a kit on my spreads. Using a kit helps keep my selections limited which I really need. I will way overdo it. This year I am really working on keeping it simple to make sure I focus on the stories and photos that happen throughout the month.

Even though I am using a kit, I still love to infuse me into the kit I am using. This April “Jelly Bean” Kit is so colorful it really inspired me to get creative. Mixed Media allows me to play and add to my kits and infuse me into my spreads. The amazing thing is you don’t have to do much with your mixed media to make it special to you.

I started off by printing off the exclusive printables from the April Kit. These printables are designed and coordinate perfectly with each kit.  I used this as my starting off point and what also inspired me.

I used white cardstock, cut into 3X4 size cards. I decided not to use Gesso to prime my cards, I knew I would try to stamp as well, I wanted my drying time to be shorter. I also wasn’t sure how this stamp would stamp on gesso, would it smudge? I didn’t want to take that chance. I knew I was going to keep my cards simple too. This often helps me decide whether priming the cards is necessary.

I chose to use watercolors. On one card I just spread the top with an orange color. I added small tiny flowers on both ends of the orange paint. These flowers were similar to the ones in the collection. When paint dried I used a black dye ink and stamped the word Joy in the middle.

I cut the card down and backed it on the Bella Blvd Daily Details Paper. With my journaling, a roller date stamped on and a puffy sticker, this card is so cute and matches my spread.

I also mixed the exclusive designed pocket page cards in my spread as well. I loved this card with the hearts at the top.  It had the right amount of space to journal about the Blog Hop we had on March 1st.  I added some Freckled Fawn Enamel Dots next to the hearts for a little extra something and left the card alone.

I have found with my pocket pages less is more.

For my other mixed media card I added half circles with watercolor on the bottom half of the card. I used the exclusive printable as inspiration. There was a similar card but I wanted to change up the colors and make them match more of what I had used. This is the cool thing about mixed media. You can tweak and alter your kit and make it work for you.

I Used Joy again with my Latina Crafter Stamp. I stamped once in full ink and then continue stamping until the ink was all gone. This ombre look looks really cool on the different color paint.

After I finished the card I outlined it with my black pen and added this card with an image of a text message I had with a friend. This is a fun way to add conversations and interactions with family and friends without having a major picture.

Throughout my spread I added lots of stamped words with my new Latina Crafter Stamp.  Seriously it was so much fun.  Added with this Freckled Fawn Foam word and some exclusive printables my coffee photo is really fun. It makes a simple photo and gives it some piazza.

I also used the Stamp on my Photo that I had a longer story/journaling on in my pocket page spread. This is why I used a 6X12 protector. It took a bit to figure out the arrangement on the page but it was fun designing on a different size layout. I printed my journaling from my laptop in a funky typewriter font. this allowed me to add more journaling than I could write out. I also was wanting to use journaling I had right from my FB acct, which is a simple copy and paste for journaling. I had already wrote the words earlier, sometimes there really is no need to re write the journaling.

I keep the 6X12 layout simple, with some epoxy sticker add ons and some printables.  

I hope you check out the april challenge blog post and see all the details and join along. Make sure you tag us so you can be entered into the drawing for the sponsor’s prize. We love to see all you in the Clique have made using your kits!!

Make sure you also check out my process video for this spread.

 

Can’t wait to see you around!! Have an Inspired Day!

Geek Lab: You and Me

Hello!!! It’s Donna here and I’m very excited to be back on the CK Design Team!

For my first post and project, I will be sharing a layout using the April 2017 kit, “Jellybean”. 

I love the foiled word arts in some of the papers and that’s the first inspiration on this layout.I didn’t plan to have a monochromatic layout, honestly. I ended up choosing teal/blue with black colors so that’s what I went with.

I fussy cut the words you + me (and later on couldn’t find the “+” cut out so it didn’t make into this layout).

I adhered the floral cut files using gel medium. Then I used watercolors (blue, black) and PITT pencils to color the cut files. I started with the light blue colors first and then mixed the black watercolor later on, creating a grayish blue shade.

I also used watercolors as ink to stamp the word “love”. Scattered it around the layout. The stamp is from Latina Crafter. I scattered the hearts and stars from the foam word stickers by Freckled Fawn. And did the same with the black enamel dots from Freckled Fawn as well.

I have a problem with my printer but good thing I got this 1 photo printed correctly. I didn’t want to just throw the rest away so I used them and layered them like you see here. I also love using layers of messy thread to add a bit of texture

I distressed the edges of the paper in the middle a little bit after cutting about half an inch to make it a little bit smaller. Then I used the blue/green stripe patterned paper as a mat.

That’s all from me today. I hope you liked it!

And see you again tomorrow!

Happy crafting,

Geek Lab with Hannah

Aloha!! It’s Hannah here with you today.  The fresh and bold colors in the “Jelly Bean” April Kit have me thinking about Spring. Where I live it’s still pretty green and damp. It has me dreaming about my flower bed from the summer and all the beautiful colors they wore proudly. I knew this kit and the exclusive flower cut file would fit perfectly together to make an awesome layout.

Maybe by making a layout about my flowers will entice them to grow faster! If only scrapbooking brought on the season change and made the weather behave?!! While I dream about wearing old sneakers and dirty garden gloves, lets take a look at what I created.

I really wanted to go BOLD so I used my silhouette to cut the exclusive floral cut file with pattern paper. The cut file is really intricate so it really helps this busy paper pop. The flowers come alive. It will work well on my layout because I am using white cardstock that I made several stripes with dark grey acrylic paint. The color against the dark and white really help them stand out.

I cut one set of flowers big and left them open. I also cut a couple of other sets in plain white cardstock.  I like to use smooth cardstock with my cut files. I find they look better and the thicker quality helps them hold up better in the silhouette. These smaller sets I backed with some of my left over “Paint Me” patterned paper and some of the dotted vellum. I used some tiny staples in gold from my tiny attacher to attach and hold the paper together. I wanted to create shadows by attaching them this way. I wanted the cut file to lift up a bit from the paper to add dimension too.

To me this really helps makes an impact on a layout when you use dimension and shadows in your favor. The bright colors in this kit and paper really help with that as well.

I used 3 3×4 size photos that I matted with white cardstock. With all the color in the cut file and in my photos I didn’t want to go crazy. I also knew I would finish off the layout with some splatters of the Shimmerz Acri-tonez Paints.

I added a couple of the cut aparts from the “Daily Details” Paper for some extra layers. I love the writing on them it’s so fun and said perfectly how I felt. The gold foil on some of the cards is gorgeous and I couldn’t help myself not to use that on this layout.

I lightly embellished this page. The color and intricacy of the cut file really helped fill the page up. I used a few of the Freckled Fawn foam word phrase stickers. They are really fun. I also added some of the Bella Blvd Puffy Stickers and Epoxy Stickers from the Clique Store.  These stickers add just the right amount of extra color to tie my layout together.

For the title I used the Elle Studio White Alphas and one of the Heidi Swapp Acetate words in gold. I love when I have word phrases in my kits to help me with my title. I don’t really mind if I don’t have the most thought out title. As long as it helps capture the feelings I have when I see my photo that’s all that matters to me. I know I will have journaling somewhere on my layout eventually so my family and I can remember all my thoughts about these photos.

Though truth be told, I just really enjoy taking photos of my gorgeous flowers. They are all mine and they are beautiful! I just want to remember how beautiful they are, especially during the middle of the winter when it has been raining for ten days straight and you can see your breathe when you wake up in the morning. It’s times like this I want to remember there is color and beauty that grows right in my own back yard. I don’t need a fancy title this time for that!

To finish off my layout I added Freckled Fawn enamel dots and shapes around my cut file. That is intact what I want my eye to go to first when I look at this layout. I added the year for a date with more of the White Alphas by Elles Studio. Since the date really isn’t important I don’t need it to stand out. I also finished by adding splatters with the Shimmerz Acri-tonez Paints. I just let the paint fall out of the bottle as I lightly squeezed it. I really love the look it gave adding them this way. The paint made really raised spots around my layout and have great dimension. I made sure I put my layout off to the side while it dried so the paint didn’t get touched, or settle down.

I hope you are inspired today to create different looks using just one cut file. It really makes a cut file be versatile when you can get different looks just by changing a few things, like color, shape and what is behind the cut file itself.

Have a great day and I hope you are excited about playing with your April “Jelly Bean” Kit when it shows up at your door. When it does arrive be sure to tag us and share what you creating with your kit!!

Also Check Out my Process Video on the Clique Kits Youtube Channel for more details on how I made this fun layout.

Sunday School: Right Now by Evi

Hello lovely scrapbook ladies!  Thank you for joining me for Sunday School blog post.  I am playing with the April 2017 Jelly Bean Scrapbook Kit.  I am scrapping two smaller photos of me and my Doxie, Kobe on a walk recently.  I started out with cutting out the flowers of the Bella Blvd Make Your Mark, Magnifique.  These flowers are large and colorful which is totally my style.

Once I gessoed my card stock, I did the packaging technique with Mint colored mists and yellow.  I then used the current flower cut file, available under the Varsity Team, and cut it on pink card stock for an added layering effect under the flowers.

I used black embossing on the wood veneer from Fancy Pants and made my title “Right Now” pop off the colors of my layout.  I then added one of the words from the Freckled Fawn pack, ‘Amazing’ above my title.  The black pops off of both against the colors of my background.

I then started adding elements from the ephemera pack from Bella Blvd.  I love the flair in the kit, and decided on the yellow ‘She’s Crafty’ flair and nested it on yellow thread.  I also used the yellow swan exclusive piece in my cluster in the lower right area.  Enamel dots from Freckled Fawn were added for color and contrast.  All pieces are available in the April kit.

Thank you for joining me for todays post.  I hope you have had an amazing weekend.  ~Evi

Create Beautiful Art- Geek Lab

 

Hi everyone!  Happy Saturday!

Today I am sharing a page I made with the new April kit, “Jellybean”!   It is absolutely gorgeous and full of amazing, bright colors. For our Geek Lab, I am going to be using cut files, AND using the exclusive PRINTABLE that comes with the kit!

There were two particular things that inspired me for this page:  a piece of the exclusive flair that says “she’s crafty”, and a piece of the Bella Blvd “Make Your Mark” paper with lots of colorful paint strokes.

I had a photo of my daughter watching a Bob Ross video on YouTube and painting, so I thought these items would be a great way to highlight this photo.

I began by cutting out some large paint stroke shapes from a digital cut file and also the word “Art”.  I planned on backing these areas with the bright paint stroke paper.

 

I used a dry, 1″ paintbrush to stroke some areas of dark paint and over my title area and for some journaling areas.

I framed my photo with a cut file frame to make it look like a picture frame and hung it with some twine and a brad from my stash.

I embellished with cut outs from the exclusive printable that includes phrases and lots of tags and other elements.  There were also quite a few Bella Blvd bits that had sayings relating to making art and creating, so I had to add those in!

 

Finally, I added some stitching and doodled some stars.

 

You can watch my entire process here:

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and don’t forget about the printables that come with the kit!

 

Art Studio:Playing with templates

Hello friends! Today, I have a fun layout using some goodies from the Clique Kits shop! I am in love with the fun paper packs by Becky Higgins. I decided to combine both paper packs, “Sweet Edition” and Everyday Edition” to create this fun layout. The bobby pin patterned paper is so neat!

I decided to play with my acrylic paint. It’s been too long. I created a fun background for my layout using a template that I have from The Crafter’s Workshop. I simply painted the template shape onto white cardstock and once it was dried, I hand-cut the patterned to use as a fun background for my photo.

Here are a few close-ups. I decided to play with my stamps too!  If you’re a subscriber, be on the lookout for the transparency tags from Pretty Little Studio because they will be in the December kit! I cut mine in half so that I could tuck them behind my photo on both sides of the photo.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today. We really appreciate it! Have a wonderful day.