Yearbook – Favorite Cupcake

Hello Everyone! Here is Réka again. Today, I’m sharing my projects using the beautiful Sorbet Main Kit. My favorite parts of this kit are the puffy stickers, the die cuts, the buttons, the papers … All right, OK, well… the truth is I love the whole kit.

Do you know that every Clique Kit contains exclusive digital printables, don’t you? This month Maryám designed the wonderful printables which you can find here. This time I’ve printed it on the vellum paper and I really love the outcome. This idea comes from Gia.

Now let us see my layout! I’ve chosen a photo about my homemade cupcake and I wanted to document this memory because it was the first time when I’ve used carrots for cupcakes and the result was really delicious. The cupcake is my favorite type of cake that’s why I’ve decided to put FAVORITE word on my layout, from Pretty Little Studio, this arrived with the kit together. I ’ve also used some puffy stickers and die cuts from Pinkfresh Studio. Additionally, some pieces of the vellum printable, enamels and labels and one button also have gone to my layout.At the end, I’ve added some yellow mists and my layout is done.

My first thought was to put the recipe of the carrot cupcake below the photo, but it was to long. And at that moment a new idea just came to mind, I would put this layout in my yearbook so I’ve started to create the second page for the receipt.

Firstly, I’ve printed the recipe of the carrot cupcake on the white cardstock. The recipe is in Hungarian which is my native language. Then I’ve added some pieces of the same patterned paper which was the base of the other layout and a few stickers, enamels and yellow mists. For the title I’ve used the alphabet stamps set from Latina Crafter who is the sponsor of this month’s challenge. You can find more information about the monthly challenge here. Both of two pages I was stitching a little bit with yellow thread which is my favorite technic on the layout. Let’s see the next page.

Here are some close-ups.

Finally here are the two pages together.

Hopefully, I managed to inspire you to document your favorite recipe. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful crafty day. See you next month.

Réka

 

Clique Agenda – Happy May

Hello Everyone! Here is Réka and I’m so excited because it’s my first post as a member of CK Design Team. Today I ’m sharing with you how I orgazine my months in my homemade planner. The basis of my planner is a simple ring album which I’ve covered with fabric and I’ve decorated the front page with a lot of elements from the April Kit. Have a look at it.

I’ve decorated the inside of my planner with the gorgeous May Main Kit.

 

The left side of the inside page is covered with one piece of paper from Pinkfresh Studio. Afterwards I’ve made a few pocket from fabric on which I’ll put the different elements of the kit. I’ve added puffy stickers and buttons. The paper clips from Freckled Fawn are perfect to use in the planner.

My monthly page always contains one inspiring sentence. For the May I’ve chosen one spot varnish sentimets card from Kaisercraft, which firstly I’ve painted and after I’ve used my inks. It was so interesting where the paint and ink met on the card. I’ve put this card on the vellum tape wrapping paper, and finally I’ve added them on the white cardstock. I’ve sewed around every piece with my sewing machine. For the title I’ve used the alphabet stamps set from Latina Crafter who is the sponsor of this month’s challenge. You can find more information about the monthly challenge here. You also can see this stamps set on my next pages. This page is complete with the happy puffy sticker.

Now let’s see the back side of the previous page. I’ve chosen one illustration from the May Kit exclusive printable which designed by Maryam. I’ve printed it on the vellum paper. This idea comes from Gia. When my printed vellum paper was done I’ve just started to put a card on it when my eyes have stopped on the „Neverland is my home” sentence from the Pinkfresh Studio – Reverie paper. Unfortunately it was too small, but I’ve written the same sentence with my stamp, cutting and I’ve glued them to the paper. When I’ve attached them I’ve covered it with overhead folien, but I’ve sewed only its three sides and the left side was let open so I’ve got one pocket for the bills, cards and other things which belong to the month.

Every montly important data, events, goals and dreams go to the other page. I’ve used one sheet water-colored paper on which I’ve sewed and painted the columns and I’ve written the titles of the columns with my handwritting and added some puffy stickers.

The next double pages show my montly spread for May. These pages were edited in the Microsoft Word and then printed. I’ve added a few vellum tape and die cuts. Now, the only thing to do is to organise our schedule of May, plans, meetings, tasks.

Next time I will show you how I organize my week and I will also share other parts of my planner with you. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful crafty day! See you soon!

Réka

Clique Cards – Holiday Edition

Hello crafters!  Erica here with you today and I am so excited about todays post!  One of my favorite things about Clique Kits is that we offer Limited Edition Kits about 4-5 times a year!  One of my favorite kits are the card kits which we put out at least twice a year!  This time of year our Holiday Card Kits are released and they are carefully put together with cardmakers and project life scrapbookers in mind.   Now just because it is a card kit does not mean tradional scrapbookers would not enjoy this kit!  I find myself using the card kits for all types of projects!  Today I want to highlight our 2016 Holiday Card kit!  This year we are featuring the My Minds Eye Comfort and Joy collection and the kit is filled with traditonal holiday colors and images!

I am loving the plaid and the touches of glitter on some of the 6×6 papers and this super cute stamp set by Meli Melo!  You can pick this card kit up in the Clique Kits shop now!  You can also use one of the DT 10% off codes on this kit now to save a little more!  Now is the perfect time to get started on holiday card making and our design team member Candace Perkins will be here to help you get going and bring you inspiration with our Holdiay Card Making Series coming to our YouTube channel!  Make sure you subscribe to our channel so you do not miss an episode of this amazing series coming soon!  You will be able to pull out this kit or your stash and work right along with Candace and create some beautiful cards!  You do not want to miss it!  Click Here to subscribe to our channel!

 

Our DT member Melissa Elsner is already sharing cards with the card kit and people are loving her cards!  If you have not yet made it over to her blog you can check it out HERE!  Make sure to follow her for amazing inspiration with our kits and this holiday card kit!

Here is a look at some of the cards she has created so far!  Simple yet stunning and all using the Holiday Edition card kit!

We also have a some fabulous holiday add ons that you will love and you can find them along witht the card kit HERE!

If this card kit and color palete is not your style then maybe our Clique into the Holidays Limited Edition kit is for you!  This kit is super jam packed and features the oh so popular Crate Paper collection Snow & Cocoa.  Here is a look at some of the products included in this kit…yes I said some because this is not even the full kit!  Like I said it is jam packed plus you will also receive some digital files plus tons of inspiration, daily prompts, and december documenting ideas!

If you have not yet purchased this kit you can grab it HERE and this kit will start shipping out this weekend!!!  YES!!!  THIS WEEKEND!!  We are so excited for this kit as well and our DT is busy getting projects ready to share and inspire you with!  We hope you will join us in holiday documenting and have some fun with us!  If you are not a member of our Facebook group The Clique you can join HERE and stay up to date on all the fun holiday fun!  Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and get some time to be creative today!

February Clique Kits Blog Share

Hi everybody. It’s Nicole here, wishing you a fabulous Wednesday! Welcome to the February Pep Rally. This month, we hope to inspire you with the “Hot Mess” kit. I am loving the vibrant colors and die cuts In this kit. And I think it works well as a boy or girly kit. Sure there’s a great deal of pink in this kit, but there’s a good amount of greens and blues in the kit as well. 🙂

For our challenge this month, we went with an “Anything Goes” theme.

The Pep Rally, for those of you who are new to the Clique, is our monthly subscriber and design team blog share typically held the third week of the month and participants earn product credits-yes, free stuff to do what you love-who can beat that? It’s out with the old, in with the new time at Clique Kits when we (hopefully) have all killed our kit from the previous month and have lots to show off, and we start to chat and hype the excitement for the coming month’s kit. In other words, we party! We don’t leave out our guests-there is always a prize for a hopper who comments on each post and likes and shares on social media! Just leave a new comment for each like and share for a separate entry in the random drawing for this month’s prize. One lucky person will win this month’s Capture kit that is sold out! Get the word out and have your friends join our Pep Rally because they might end up with this gorgeous kit at their doorsteps!

Here’s today’s line up:

 

Clique Kits

Gia Lau

Erica Thompson

​Melissa Vining

*​Candace Perkins

*Leeann Pearce

*Carolina Schulz

Kat Benjamin

​*Leigh Ann Odynksi

Aliza Deutsch

*Elisabetta Margini

Taina Cortes (Evi)

*Kim Oedekoven

Mariah Hechler

Megan Blethen

Kim Allen

Maryam Perez Osorio

Renee Aslette

Sandy Gonzalez

 

Feel free to hop in any order, if you get lost, you can always come back here to find your place. I decided to scrap this photo of the Clique Kits girls at CHA! It’s my absolute favorite photo from the weekend. We were getting our caffeine fix before we headed into the show! We were busy, busy, busy, and we hit the ground running all weekend long. We had such a great time and it was my first time meeting the girls in person! So fun. What a fun group of girls.

Supplies: Patterned Paper: Die Cuts: Stickers: Crate Paper, Stamps: American Crafts.

 Here are a few close-ups. I decorated my background with a few flowers. What do you think?

Now, hop along and see what our design team and subscribers have been working on. Don’t forget to check out the gallery on the website landing page featuring our Varsity Team (design team) projects using the February kit and check out the Monthly Kit page for all the details about next month’s amazing Clique Kit. Take care!

 

Clique Kits Meet The Team Blog Share

Hi everybody. It’s Nicole here, wishing you a fabulous Thursday! Welcome to our blog hop where we will be introducing the 2015-2016 Clique Kits team. I have asked each of our ladies to create a layout about themselves so that you can get to know a little better! And because it’s only fair, I challenged myself and created a layout about myself as well. I must admit, I am REALLY excited about this year’s team and I think you’re going to love them. Each designer is unique in their own way and they each bring something different to Clique Kits. It’s going to be an inspiring year with this group.

I must admit, I am pretty pleased with this layout. The colors are so pretty and I love the exclusive cards that came with the October Kit. Lacey outdid herself again! Normally, I do not like “busy” layouts, I tend to keep it simple, but the embellishments this month were so awesome, I wanted to use them all.

Here is the line-up for today’s hop. Feel free to hop in any order, but be sure to comment on each blog to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Clique Kits store. The more comments, the more chances you have of winning. Grab a cup of coffee and start clicking on the links below and be ready to be inspired. Who knows, you might be tempted to scrap a layout or two about yourself.

Elisabetta Margini

Carolina Schultz

Donna Espiritu

Justyna Skowron

Melissa Vining

Kat Benjamin

Marcia Dehn-Nix

Candace Perkins

Kim Oedekoven

Leigh Ann Odynski

Sandy Gonzalez

Amanda O’Banion

Aliza Deutsch

Maryam Perez

LeeAnn Pearce
Sandra Spitaleri

               

Feel free to follow us on Instagram so that you are always in the loop!

Clique Kits @cliquekits
Elisabetta Margini @abcdeli_
Carolina Schultz @papelisima
Donna Espiritu @donna_espinoza
Justyna Skowron @_justt_
Melissa Vining @melissajanev
Kat Benjamin @kraftykat9
Marcia Dehn-Nix @marciadehnnix
Candace Perkins @findingeverydayperfection
Kim Oedekoven @krodesigns
Leigh Ann Odynski @artfuleigh
Sandy Gonzalez @ohsnapgonzo
Amanda O’Banion @aobanion
Aliza Deutsch @alizad
Maryam Perez @maryampdesign
LeeAnn Pearce @leightaz

Clique Kit Leader Team

Nicole Martel @nicolemartel6542
Erica Thompson @ericarosecreates
Gia Lau @giaaloha
Lacey Gasper @laceyagasper
Annelie Maddock @scrappinswewi

 Thank you for hopping along with us today!

Playing with gesso

Hi everybody. Hope all is well. I have been really excited to share this layout with you! It was my first time playing with gesso and I can’t wait to play with it again. Before I started this layout, I decided that I wanted to include a book page so I rummaged through my old books to find one that I could rip. I used some gel medium to hold down my note paper. This stuff works great for adhering papers and ephemera to your layouts. Once I had my papers adhered, I grabbed my fun circle template that I bought from the CK store and some whipped spackled to play with. I’ve never played with whipped spackle, but love what I’ve seen scrappers do with it. It was really easy to use. Simply grab a metal spatula and whipped spackled and apply it to the template.

Once you’ve covered the entire template, carefully lift the template and wash it off with cold water. The gesso didn’t take too long to dry. In fact, I think it dried in a hour. While the gesso was drying, I printed my photos, stamped a few images onto the layout and punched out a few circles to use on my layout. I used the paint dabber to add a bit of pink around the edges of my layout.

I really love the look of this layout. Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to try something new like experiment with gesso on your next project. Fun stuff! Thanks for stopping by today!

Awesome mini-album

Hi all! Donna here again to share my last project using Clique cards: Spring Edition.

For this post, I made a mini-album instead of cards. I used everything in the kit, as much as I can. BUT I still have lots of 6×6 papers in the pad left. Awesome!

Here is what I did

I basically cut the color cardstocks into 4inx8in and then folded in half. I used several strings of DMC thread to bind the mini-album, stitched them together. Then I used half of a 6inx6in paper to cover the spine.

Here’s a look at the pages inside

I challenged myself not to use bulky embellishments for the inside pages,  just the stickers and ephemera included in the kit. Even if you put some photos inside, it will not be too bulky. I just love the colors and gold in this kit!

That’s about it for today, I hope you liked my project!
Thanks for dropping by!

April Designer in the Spotlight – Tasnim Ahmed

Hello everyone!  We are so excited to bring you this months Designer in the Spotlight Tasnim Ahmen.  We had the privilege of meeting Tasnim at CHA Winter 2015.  We were walking along the show floor when we spotted her beautiful Altenew booth.  The booth walls were covered in this beautiful textured wall paper and it was so clean, simple and classic.  We instantly fell in love with her and of coarse her stamps!  We ended up adding two of her stamp sets to our kits this year and also added some to the Clique Kits shop.

Tasnim took some time to answer some questions for us today and also created some stunning cards using our Spring Card Kit!  So sit back, grab your beverage of choice and say Hello to Tasnim!

Tasnim attained her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2010. Even though arts and crafts has always been a part of her life, she only discovered stamping in 2011, and started her blog Cards & Bookmarks the following year. She soon realized that she had the potential to introduce designs/greetings relevant to cultures that were not represented in mainstream crafting space, and thus the research and planning for Altenew began. She is committed to bringing innovative designs based on lifestyles from around the world.

In addition to running Altenew, and being a full-time mom to her three year old daughter, Tasnim is a current student at Studio Arabiya, an online institute based in Cairo, Egypt. She also teaches weekly classes and leads the girls youth group at her local community center. Apart from card making and designing stamps, she enjoys hiking, running, and learning languages.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process?

My creative thinking process has changed from the time that I started designing cards. At first I used to constantly deliberate about designs, colors, and how to come up with crafty techniques.  Then I discovered Pinterest, and instantly it became my go-to-place for inspiration. I remember spending hours on a card at times, playing around with my elements and figuring out how to arrange them. But now when I need to make a card, I take a quick look at my Pinterest Inspiration Board, and try not to spend more than half an hour in completing my project. Usually, a certain picture that I pinned catches my eyes, and I use either the colors, the design layout, the elements, or the general vibe from the picture, and go about translating that on to my card.

When I’m designing stamps, I first look for inspiration; it could be from nature, museum catalogs, fabric design, home décor, places I’ve traveled, or things that I want to make that do not exist in the market yet. Once an idea forms, I draw the designs on paper, scan it, and set to work on drawing in Illustrator, using my scanned images as a guide.

2. Where and when are you most creative?

I think I am most creative when I am under the stress of having to meet a deadline! I feel like my best creations are always the ones I made last minute! During one of our Altenew releases, I woke up at 3am, and made six cards in the following four hours. The release was scheduled at 9am! Late nights are when my creative juices flow, and that is when I design Altenew stamps.

3. What are some of your must have supplies?

Paper cutter, Score Board, micro-tip scissors, stamps, inks, foam tape and heat embossing supplies.

4. Who are some of your influences?

In my card designing journey, the works of Darlene DeVries, Laura Bassen, Agnieszka Malyszek, and Debby Hughes, have influenced me greatly, to just name a few.

In the case of Altenew, Stephanie Wincott has definitely inspired me. I heard of her just days before the launch of “Clearly Besotted Stamps”. Back then, I was toying with the idea of starting a stamp company, but once I saw what she was about to embark upon, I was quite determined. I eventually contacted her and was able to ask her for advice. She was very helpful, and kindly shared her insight.

5. 3 things people probably do not know about you.

• I used to be a BIG Anime fan. I have watched so much Anime during one of my college years that I can now understand/speak a bit of Japanese.
• I absolutely love Mathematics. Recently, I planned on allocating ½-1 hour daily to solve Math problems. Ahem, I still need to get started on that plan!
• I have yet to learn how to swim, and ride a bike. Added to my long to-do list.

6. Favorite:

 

• Book

Agatha Christie’s detective novels

• Movie

Howl’s Moving Castle, Marvel Movies

• Candy

Fruit Roll-ups

• Drink

Black tea

• Color

Yellow

• TV Show

Running man (Korean variety show). It is a bit silly sometimes, but it makes me laugh, which is a good thing

7. Who are some of your favorite designers in the industry?

Agnieszka Malyszek, Iwona Palamountain, Jocelyn Olson, Cristina Kowalczyk, Amy Gray among many others!

8. What inspired you to design your first stamp set?

The first stamp set that I designed actually never made it to production. It was a set of Eid Greetings along with a geometric design. Both the greetings and the design element speak volumes about what inspired me to start Altenew in the first place. One of the themes in our stamp designs is drawing inspiration from artwork from the past, and that geometric element was based on a Persian Enamel design. As for the greetings, whenever I made cards for Eid, I wished there were stamps for this occasion, and the simple solution was to design my own set! J

9. Where did the name of your company Altenew come from?

Our first choice for a company name was Now & Then. I liked how this name was related to the theme I just spoke of. However, it was decided that the name needed to be unique. Thinking on words related to ‘Now & Then’ I came up with ‘Old and New’ which then turned to Altenew. A little knowledge of German helped the process as alt is German for old.

Here is a look at what Tasnim created with our Spring Card Kit which is still available in the Clique Kits shop.  This kit comes with a full 4×6 stamp set from Altenew that you are just going to fall in love with!

Wow!  Tasnim really went to town with our Spring Card kit.  The beautiful papers from the My Mind’s Eye On Trend collection go perfect with the Altenew Super Script stamp set.  The Spring Card kit is still available for purchase and you can grab yours today for 15% off with the code SAVE15.  This code is only available today so act fast!

Tasnim thank you so much for being our April Designer in the Spotlight!  You can find Tasnim and Altenew at the links listed below!  Make sure you follow her blog and like them on Facebook to stay up do date with new releases, sales and events!

Altenew website – http://altenew.com/

Altenew Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/altenew?fref=ts

Altenew Blog – http://altenewblog.com/

Altenew YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwHkwAQ3Z64VL3PSbye-DKQ

Do you want to build a snowman?

Hi everyone. Nicole here with another fun layout! Edward was so excited this year when we got so much snow on the East Coast. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He totally cracked me up by making a snowman out of snow, a strawberry, candy eyes and a whopper! He is so clever. HAHA.

The “Enchanted Meadow” kit really works great with the snow pictures. I love the blue, pink, orange and lime together! So very pretty. Kudos Clique Kits for creating another fabulous kit that is so versatile.

I used my Silhouette Portrait to cut out my little die cut star at the bottom and I free hand-cut my triangles at the top of the photo. Also, notice at the bottom how I used a tiny strip of patterned paper as my border? I didn’t have any washi tape that went with the colors so I made my own little strip and it worked great. Also, I hand-cut some of the polka dots from the patterned paper and adhered them all around the layout to make them pop!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Geek Lab: Pinterest Inspired-Changing it Up

Hey Clique Kits fans!  This week is a super busy week for me not only at home in my personal life but also in the Clique Kits warehouse!  We have some great things happening soon so make sure to stay tuned!!  My oldest had his first day of Sophomore year yesterday and he was a little more excited than I thought he would be!  He is looking forward to new art classes this year and working hard towards his dreams of becoming a graphic designer.  I have been so busy around the house with getting the kids ready to start school, 3 kids in sports and a million other things that my creative mojo has run away from me!  I have sat down more than a handful of times to create and I end up having to walk away from my desk because I have just not been feeling it!  Well Pinterest to the rescue!  I can always count on Pinterest to get my creative juices flowing again!  Do you ever lose your creative flow?  What gets you back into the swing of things?

While I was on Pinterest I noticed more and more 8 1/2 x 11 layouts and I was really loving how they were looking!  I have only completed a few myself and tend to just stick with one page 12×12 layouts.  I do follow Kelly Holbrook and she creates some fabulous 8 1/2 x 11 spreads!  I have also created a Pinterest board with a few of my favorite 8 1/2 x 11 layouts and you can check that out HERE!  I was also inspired by a lot of the stitching that I saw on these layouts along with shapes either all over a page, on the top or bottom of a page or even off to the side!  Here are a couple of my Inspired by Layouts from my Pinterest board.

 

I really enjoyed creating my layout and pulling some inspirations from the layouts on my board.  This may be my go to size when creating layouts!  Here is a look at my completed layout using the August 2014 Clique Kit and a few items from the Clique Kits store!

I used one of my heart dies and my Big Shot to cut out all the hearts and then pulled out my sewing machine to add some gold stitching through the hearts and also in the middle of the layout and the top left corner.  I love how this layout turned out and I am in love with all the gold touches in the August kit!  Thank you so much for stopping today and I hope you enjoyed my Pinterest inspired layout!  I would love to see you change it up a bit and create an 8 1/2 x 11 layout!  Share with us on the Clique Kits Facebook page, tag us on Instagram or upload to our Flickr Gallery!