Wander often, wonder always

Hi there scrappy friends,

Zsoka here with you today with my first projects as a guest designer for Clique Kits! I’m super excited and happy to have been asked to contribute this month! Thank you guys for the opportunity!

The February kit, Bee You, is stunning! I feel so lucky that I can guest this month! I love blue and the colors in the Hazelwood collection are just fab! All the love for this kit!

For my first projects I picked out some blue and mint papers. My main design element on the layout is the wonderful CK exclusive cut file. First I tilted and cropped the cut file. I wanted to use different papers for the different words, so I separated Wander and Wonder from the rest. I cut the bigger part from white card stock and backed the two words with different patterned papers. I then cut the remaining two words separately from patterned papers.

I adhered the cut file on my background paper, placing Wander and Wonder in their original position. I hand stitched around these two to add some texture and interest. The flowers I only adhered in the middle and on the edge of the page. I love the dimension this adds.

Then I fussy cut these gorgeous flowers from another patterned paper, with some additional leaves, and adhered them with pop dots on top of my die cut flowers. Some leaves I added under the cut file, just to have different layers and create a more dimensional look.

I added some layers of tissue paper behind my photo and also tucked a tag and another card behind it. I wrote my journaling on this card. To draw attention to the journaling, I added two enamel shapes. I stamped the date, added some black splatters and done!

I also created a set of cards using the same color scheme. There’s a lovely cut apart sheet in the kit which I thought would be perfect for some cards! Really simple and quick (well…I myself generally spend more time on simple things because I never really feel like they are quite done ha!). I used some cork pieces, ephemera, enamel shapes, and fussy cut butterflies – all these I had left after creating all my layouts with the kit.

I hope you enjoyed my first projects and I could inspire you in one way or another! Thank you for stopping by today!

X

Zsoka

Locker Room: 2016 Wrap-up

 

Hello Clique Friends,

Happy New Year to you all!   As we begin this new year, it is also time to  look back at the last 365 days, and reflect on what we hold most dear.   So with that in mind, I set up to create a wrap-up layout using the beautiful “Hey, Sugar” kit.  All the beautiful and colorful papers are the perfect to create a layout about your most beloved memories.

 

 

To begin, i created a cut file/sketch that will allow me to add my top ten memories from 2016 without crowding the project.   After playing with a few combinations, i decided that circles will be the best option for the pictures, with a large title to balance the page.  Here is the sketch/cut file -feel free to download it-

 

 

 

First I transformed all the pictures to black and white, and printed them to fit into 2.5 in squares.  Once i had the pictures cut to 2 in circles, I set the size of the circles to 2.25 in on the my Silhouette software, and had the circumference edges perforated.    A little bit of hand stitching along the perforated edge created a textured, and colorful background for my pictures.

 

 

For the title,  I used the top part of the cut file to cut one of the Simple Stories papers included in the main “Hey, Sugar” kit.   The numbers were backed using papers from the kit, as well as the Heart Day 6×6 pad (this month’s kit add on – available in the Clique store).  To ensure continuity, I hand stitched around the number cut-outs.

 

 

Before attaching the cut out to the page, I used my new typewriter (my Christmas present) to type the list of the top ten moments of 2016 -in chronological order- on the top part (above the circles) of the layout.  I had decided that the number cut-out will become a flap over the typed list.

 

The pictures then were attached to the layout.   I used the alphas included in this month’s kit to number the pictures.

 

I used a the puffy heart stickers, enamel dots, and embelishments included in the “Hey Sugar”  kit to add color, and interest along the pictures.   Since all the products in the kit coordinate, it was easy to color block the stitched circle with their respective puffy heart or enamel dot (i love this kit!).    Finally, i dug into last month’s “Wonderland” kit for a little tab as a way to create a marker for the layout’s flap.  Here is the complete layout:

 

 

Though, i am not a fan of multiple picture layouts, I got to say that i was pleased with the balance of picture to white space on the page.  I love how the pictures, and all the pieces from the “Hey Sugar” kit work together harmoniously.

Don’t forget to check out the “Hey, Sugar” kit in the Clique Kits website, as  well as the new  specialty kits  – Love Always, and Traveler’s notebook  – in the Clique Store.  You can use any of the DT’s code for a discount at checkout.

As always, I am only a comment away if you have any questions on how this came together.

Thanks for visiting, today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Study Hall: DONUT DELIGHT

Hello Clique friends,

Happy New Year to you all!  May 2017 be full of love, peace and blessings.

Today, i wanted to share with you a new layout created with this month’s “Hey, Sugar” kit.   Isn’t it lovely?  All the beautiful papers and embelishments are so fun to work with, but there is also a set of cut files that is included with each kit.   One of this month’s cut files features an image of a donut;  once i saw the cut file, I knew that it would work perfect for what i had in mind.

 

 

I started by printing the image of the donut, using the Silhouette software, in my printer.  I  used a pencil to transfer onto trace paper the image of the donut.  Using the Prima watercolor palettes, i created a few circles on watercolor paper to look like the dough of a donut.

 

 

Using the trace paper image as a guide, the watercolor circles were cut to obtain the donut shape.  At the same time, I isolated the icing image of the donut, on the Silhouette software, and cut it from some of the papers in the kit, as well as the Heart Day 6×6 pad (this month’s kit add on) available at the Clique Store. 

 

 

Once i had the “donut icing” cut outs, i glued the pieces together, and added a bit of hand stitching to secure the pieces, and add texture to the donut shapes.  Putting the page together after that was so  simple, and fun!

 

The donuts were attached to the page using adhesive foam (in different thickness), so that they create dimension on the page.   All the sprinkles in the donuts are the part of the Joy Parade (from Fancy Pants) puffy stickers included in the kit, I simply cut the triangles to create the sprinkles for the donuts.  I created a photo strip  of my nephew eating only the sprinkles of a donut, and nestled it amongst the donuts.  This month’s exclusive printables were perfect to create little clusters along the photo strip.

 

 

For the title, I used the circumference of the donut to create a playful design with the Crate Paper’s Heart Day Alphas  included in the kit, and one of the word stickers (from the Joy Parade collection) also included in the “Hey, Sugar” kit.  I love the color combination, and the retro vibe it adds to the page.  To finish the project, I simply added my journal lines along the circumference of the donuts, and added the date to the project.  Here is the complete project:

 

 

I love when i can bring my ideas into a reality, and this is the case with this layout.   It was all possible using this month’s “Hey, Sugar” kit.  This is a must have, even if lots of pink is not your thing!.   Trust me, you want to make sure to subscribe for it, and get all the add ons at the Clique Store, just use one of the DT’s code to obtain a discount at checkout.

I am always a comment away, if you have any questions on how this came together.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great New Year!

 

Traveler’s Notebook – My Journal

Hello Clique Friends!

I hope you all had a great Christmas!,  and are getting everything ready to receive the New Year.

Today, I will share with you a few entries of my traveler’s book (also known as my personal journal) created with the beautiful January kit, “Hey Sugar”.  This kit is so gorgeous, and full of beautiful papers, and colorful add ons.  It is perfect to document all those loved holiday memories.

 

I don’t know about you, but i love coffee.  During the holiday season, I am partial to the Starbucks’s Peppermint Mocha; needless to say, i had to add an entry on my diary to remind me the rest of the year of this wonderful drink.

 

To start, i used a piece of the packaging tissue paper (the kit comes wrapped with) to cover one side of the traveler’s note book, and added a picture of my daily addiction .  The coffee cut tag comes from the 6×6 Heart Day paper pad, which is available at the Store as an add-on to this kit;  the little enamel glitter heart comes from the embelishment package in the kit.

 

 

This year Starbucks chose to have decorated cups for the Holiday season, let’s just say that the friendly staff was glad to give away many cups to one of their frequent customers.   In order to preserve my memories,  i broke apart the cup, and cut it to look like a smaller version of it.  A small hole to the top of the cut-out transform it to a tag, and i used a Sharpie marker to write some journal lines on the back of the image (the paper clip comes from my stash).  Since i also kept the cup’s sleeve, I decided to create a small pocket from one of the papers in the Simple Stories Love & Adore collection included on the Hey Sugar kit.   A little bit of hand stitching holds it in place, and the Fancy Pants “Golden Days” stamp available in the Clique store, along with some small embelishments and add ons to the kit complete the page:

 

 

The next entry on my journal, was put together while I waited for my son to finish his hour  soccer training.  I traced a large heart over the next two pages of the notebook, pierced the image, and hand stitched a large heart.  I also punched a few holes in the center spine of both pages,  and used the needle to create some string art inside the heart.

 

 

This month’s exclusives printables are perfect to use when documenting in a traveler’s notebook.  I used one of the tags to serve as a layer behind the picture of my hubby decorating gingerbread cookies.  I used another of the printables to create a small cluster on the lower left corner of the page, using the branding strips from one of the papers from the kit, a label from Simple Stories Love & Adore collection (an add on to this month’s kit), and a few pieces from last month’s kit.

 

 

Since the heart took most of the space of the page, i added my journal around the heart’s edge.  I added a few of the Fancy Pants puffy stickers included in the Hey Sugar kit to add interest on the heart.  Here is the completed page:

 

 

Aren’t the colors in this month’s Hey Sugar kit so gorgeous?  Like I mentioned before,  they are perfect to document all your beloved memories.    Don’t forget to visit the Clique Store and Market to find more details on this kit, and all the add-ons available for purchase.  You can always use one of the DT’s code to obtain a 10% discount on your order at checkout.

Thanks for visiting today, and may you be blessed in the New Year!

 

Share Your Space – Nathalie DeSousa

Hello everyone!

Nathalie here, and this month I am sharing my workspace/home with you all.   Trust me, i was reluctant to share my apartment with you all,  as I don’t have an specific work room.   But I think many of you might identify with my area of work, also known as my living/dining/office room, so I  welcome you all to my home!

 

Welcome to the DeSousa household (a.k.a my apartment – and yes!, we are in Christmas mood already!).  We are blessed to own this large apartment with huge windows that let lots of natural light in.

 

This is our dining room, and our dining table doubles as my scrapbook table most of the time.  In a few occasions, I have had to open a second table so that this is available for my teens and their homework.   As you can see, my inspiration comes from my family, I just have to look up to see all the beautiful memories captured in the black and white canvases.

 

Whenever i am working on a project, I usually set my mat on the table (i own a few mats, but this American Crafts is one of my favorites).

 

I always cover my mats with white paper when I am working on them.  This way, i can throw it away I have an accident with any media.

This is how i keep all my embroidery floss. I have a bit of OCD when it comes to organizing it.  Plus this saves a lot of space on my shelves.

I found this box at Target, and filled it with all my most used tools. There is an old cookie tin on the table that serves as garbage can, and my Starbucks cup filled with water.

 

When the kids were little, we purchased a small plastic toy box (it looks like a small sofa) that now houses all the paper pads and collections I own.  Please don’t judge, I love pretty paper!  Once the lid is on, there is usually an Iris case containing the kits I am working with.  This bench/sofa sits next to the dining room table, and it is my littles (niece and nephew) favorite place to sit and play when they visit.

 

My dining room table is set next to the door that leads to our balcony.  I use the back of the door as a way to organize, and store some of my supplies.

We built the pallet from an old book case.  Usually the clips house layouts that are  being worked on, and they come in handy for hanging embroidery hoops full of washi tape (my daughter collects washi tape, there is at three more hoops  in her room!)

 

Since my work space is also my home, we have added furniture pieces that serve dual purposes one of them is storage for some of my scrapbook stash.   Here is small slide show showing you some highlights from my space:

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I hope this gives you an insight as where and how I work,  and what inspires me.   I love my work space since it allows me to be part of my family happenings while still doing what i love.  I am sure many of you might identify with me.  Though once one of the kids leaves the house, I will most likely used the extra room as a craft room!  Time will tell  😉

 

This is all for me today, let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

PILES OF SMILES -Adding hand stitching to a layout

Hello!,  I am back today with a new layout featuring the beautiful Swan Lake Kit.  I love all the papers, die cuts and extras included in the kit, but mostly i am amazed at how versatile it is.

 

One of my favorite techniques to use, when creating a layout, is hand stitching.   There are many ways to create a “stitching guide/pattern” on  a layout, but when there is a lot of stitches to add, I use the Silhouette Cameo to do a big part of the work for me.

Here is the cut lines  of the leaf being used in the layout; note how they show as full lines as they are ready to be  cut

 

The key to creating a stitching guide with your Silhouette Cameo is to use the “PERFORATE EDGE” function when setting your cut style for your project.  As you can see in the picture below, the machine will not cut a solid line across the edges of the image; instead, the blade will  make small indentations/holes along the edges of the cut-lines which can be used to hand-stitch the design.

 

Once the image (Geometric Autum Leaf cut file from the Silhouette store) was perforated on the card stock (i am using water color paper for this layout), I used the Prima watercolor palettes to  fill the inside of the leaf image ( i tried to match the colors of the paper, “Beautiful” from the Swan Lake kit).  As soon as the watercolor dried, I used embroidery floss to hand stitched the perforated edges of the image.

 

 

The starting point for the stitching (it is easier to appreciate the perforations of the image once the paint has dried)

 

A close up to the finished stitching on the layout

 

To complement the colors of the leaf, the edges of the layout were trimmed, and the layout was then attached to the “Beautiful” paper from Maggie Holmes’ Gather collection  which is featured in this month’s Swan Lake kit.

My choice of a black and white picture for this layout was made mostly to highlight both the background, and my little niece and nephew on our Thanksgiving walk.  I used papers from the kit as layers behind the picture, as well as the Gather collection chipboard stickers, and exclusives to create a cluster around the picture.   Also, I picked the die cut pieces from Simple Stories Posh collection from the Clique Store, and used some of the pieces in the picture’s cluster.

To create the title, I cut the “Piles of Smiles” card from this month’s exclusive printables, and attached the small chipboard sticker frame (from the Swan Lake Kit add ons) to it.  I cut the small  top left corner of the chipboard, and placed a small chipboard heart from last month’s Sapphire kit.

To finish the layout, I scattered some of the sequin around the page, added my journal lines and a few black ink splatters.  Here is the final layout:

I really love the texture the stitching adds to this layout.  Trust me, the Silhouette Cameo is a great help when creating a stitching pattern, and the beautiful and soft papers in this month’s Swan Lake kit are perfect for  a bit of stitching.

Thank you for visiting today!  I look forward to seeing a bit of  hand stitching on your layouts.

See you all soon!

Locker Room – Enjoy!

 

Hello there!

I am back, today, with a new project using the beautiful Swan Lake kit.  I love the versatility of the kit, as it was so easy to use  when documenting  a picture of my small nephew rolling in the fallen leaves.

 

I used a  bit of mixed media on the background, and just a bit of the colors peek from behind the picture and all the layers (unfortunately, I hadn’t realize that the video had stopped taping while i worked on the background, my apologies!).  To create the background, I splashed water drops all over the area i wanted to cover, and then added splatter drops of the Prima watercolor palettes;  using a wet brush, i guided the paint droplets until the entire area is cover. Once it dried, I used the Prima Metallic Palette -found in the Clique store– to add color and shine to the background.

 

I used pieces from the Kate, Joyful, You and Me, and Sunshine papers -from the Gather collection included in the main Swan Lake kit – to create the layers behind the picture.  I used the skeleton leaves from last month’s Sapphire kit, along with the newsprint leaves from the die-cut pack  on the main kit, and the leaves on the chipboard from this month’s  Swan Lake Kit add-ons.  I created the title using one of the kraft tags included in the kit.  I love all the exclusive printables!, and they are perfect to add small details around the picture.  Here are a few close ups:

 

To finished the page, i used one of my rotary stamps to add more detail to the background;  i also added a few of the sequins included in the Swan Lake kit, to add more shine to the page.  Here is the final layout:

 

 

Like i said before, this month’s Swan Lake kit is so easy to use due to its versatility.  It was so easy to due a boy layout with the beautiful papers included in the kit.  Here is the video of how the page came together  -please apologize that the video had stopped while i worked on the background, and I realized way too late-:

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to visit the store to check this month’s Swan Lake kit, and all the beautiful add ons that are available (the metallic Prima watercolor palette is so great to add shimmer to any project).  Remember you can use any DT’s code to receive a discount on your purchase.

 

Thanks for visiting today!,

 

 

Field Notes – My Journal

Hello everyone!

Nathalie here with my very first  post as member of the Clique Kits’s Design Team ( i am so thankful to Clique Kits, and excited to be working with all the amazing designers in the team).   For today’s post i will be sharing with you how the beautiful and soft Swan Lake kit was used in my personal journal.

 

I have kept a journal since I can remember;  a couple years ago, I discovered Traveler’s notebook style journals, and i have been hooked on them since I bought my first one.     I think my style of journaling is  a bit eclectic (you’ll see), but it is me in a book!.

 

The two page spread for our Apple picking tradition.

 

For my first spread, i am documenting our Apple picking trip.   I created the photo strip on Adobe Lightroom, and printed it in color.  I cut the little frames from the “Moments” paper included in the main kit, and the paper corners from the “Pure Joy” paper included in the Swan Lake kit add on.  I layered the frames behind the photo strip,  added a sticker from the Pinkfresh Studio Indigo Hills collection, and a foiled die-cut from the Posh collection that i picked at the store.  To complete the page, I added a few of this month’s exclusive printables, which worked seamlessly in tying all the colors and feel of this spread.  Here are some close ups:

 

 

 

Like i mentioned previously, my style of journaling is eclectic; for the second spread of my journal, i used the Prima  Decadent Pies watercolor palette to create the background for the picture of my husband and I on our Thanksgiving Day walk (we already celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada!).  I just added splatters of paint to a wet background, and help the paint spread with a wet brush.

 

 

Once dried, I attached a black and white picture, along with some chipboard stickers (from this month’s kit add-ons), one of the exclusive printables, and a die cut from the Posh collection that it is available at the Clique Store.

 

 

I wrote a very personal note about how  this man makes my life better every day, but I chose to keep it hidden (sorry!), for that I used the “Love” paper included in the  Swan Lake kit add-on.  I used an exacto knife to cut the rectangle out of the paper, and attached it to the page using some of the Amy Tangerine washi tape available at the  Clique store.

 

a small paper clip die cut from Simple Stories Posh collection serves as a marker for the page.

Here is the  full spread:

 

 

I love how easy it was to incorporate pieces from the Swan Lake kit into my personal journal.  Don’t forget to check the store for the the new Traveler’s Note kit, and many of the small details used in these spreads.  You can always used any of the DT’s code to get a 10% discount at checkout.

 

Thanks for visiting today,

See you all soon!

 

 

 

June Moodboard

Happy Sunday! I’m back with another kit mood board and sneak peeks! This year is flying by and in June let us take a step back, relax, and enjoy “The Sweet Life”.

This kit is filled with goodies that will help you create beautiful layouts for those treasured moments in your lives.

Of course I can’t leave you without some KIT sneak peeks!!

It is not too late to start subscribing to Clique Kits! If you subscribe before May 31st you will start with the June kit!! June kits will ship between June 3 – 10.

Keep your eyes glued on our social media this week for more sneak peeks!!