Pep Rally – Gia Aloha

Clique Kits October Pep Rally

Aloha friends! Happy fall y’all! Clique Kits has been creating with some amazing products geared toward the beautiful sights, sounds, and tastes (Pumpkin Spice yeah!) of autumn and the October kit was appropriately named “Gather”.

Today is the day we celebrate with an Instagram Hop and share all of the projects we made in October as we get a glimpse of the upcoming November Kit reveal! YAY!

The Instagram Hop Lineup

Donna – @iampinay25
Sara – @sara.scraps
Kayla – @kaylawebber88
Hannah – @dandalion2002
Marsha – @heymarshamakes
Rachel – rachellowe____
Cristina – cristina__sales
Sue – @suesmith7900
Gia – @giaaloha
Raechelle – @raebellus
Riri – @riri.creates
Theresa – @larkindesigntm
Khristina – @khristinasorge

Simply like and comment on these amazing posts and participants for a chance to win a prize from Clique Kits! Tag your friends to play along!

For this layout I used a new (to me) stamp and die set from Ink Road Stamps. It is called Bella Flora and I used black ink to stamp and then used the outline dies to cut some 2D flowers to layer with those gorgeous 3D flowers in the kit! You also might recognize that this layout follows the Clique Kits October sketch!

Here are some sneak peeks at the November Kits! They are called “Seneca Falls” which is considered the birthplace of women’s suffrage because the first ever convention on women’s right to vote took place there in 1848. This is very important to us Clique Kits girls because November 6th Election Day is right around the corner and we really want to encourage ALL of our followers to get out and use that right to vote that women once fought and died to get!

This kit features designer in the spotlight Amy Tangerine and her new collection Shine On! Loving the colors and patterns in this one! So while you stalk your mail-person don’t forget to get out there and vote in the Midterm elections!

-xo Gia

Clique Kits September Pep Rally and a Winner!

This month the Clique Kits Pep Rally is taking place over on Instagram! There is a great lineup of inspiration using the September Kits (Farmhouse) and you can find them using the following hashtags: #click_create_connect #ckpeprally #cliquekits #ckseptember2018 and #ckfarmhouse. You can find mine too @giaaloha. In addition to my layout I also promised to announce the winner of my first Instagram giveaway!

Giveaway! (1)

The winner of the Maggie Holmes Willow Lane Bundle is @piros01 (Czako-Radvanyi Piroska)

She commented that her favorite thing about fall is “all the beautiful colors.” If you are she please email info@cliquekits.com as I will need your shipping address! This announcement will also be posted on Instagram in case you missed it here!

ACS_0659

And now a little bit more about this layout!

I started with the stencil that came in the Farmhouse travelers notebook kit and had fun creating a messy background for my first layer of the layout.

I used the patterned papers in the Magnolia Moments add on paper pad to back the Autumn Wreath cut file from Clique Kits.

ACS_0664

Here is a close up- lots of ephemera and bits and pieces from my main and travelers notebook kits were filled in over and under the wreath to create lots of layering and different textures. The finishing touch- that adorable deer– was a leftover from a previous kit that had featured the Maggie Holmes Flourish collection. We often see deer families running through our yard so it was the perfect embellishment for this photo of my daughter in our backyard at our lemon tree.

Thanks so much for visiting- I hope you will head over to Instagram and comment on all of the stops along the hop!IG Hop participants as there is a chance to win a prize from Clique Kits:

@Giaaloha (me)
@sara.scraps
@paper_glitter
@rachellowe____
@dandalion2002
@Nupur2728
@heartpeonies
@cheekypapercreations
@cristina__sales
@iampinay25
@larkindesigntm
@khristinasorge

-Hugs, Gia

August Pep Rally

Welcome to my blog and the Clique Kits August Pep Rally. Here is the lineup of talent for you to be inspired by in this hop!

—-> You came from here Clique Kits – (http://cliquekitsblog.weebly.com/)
Gia Lau – (https://giaaloha.com/) <—- You are here
Go here next!—->Lacey Gasper – (https://www.laceyann.com/)
Donna Espiritu – (https://scrappydonna.blogspot.com/)
Nupur Patel – (http://nupurpatel27.blogspot.com/)
Rachel Lowe – (http://inmyworld-scrapbookingourjourney.blogspot.com/)
Jasmin Paar – (https://www.paperandglitter.net/)
Heather Doolittle – (http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/)
Jackie Howell – (https://www.instagram.com/cheekypapercreations/)
Cristina Sales – (https://larcadellastellapiumata.blogspot.com/)

And don’t forget to search our hashtags on Instagram also for even more great projects!

#CliqueKits

#CKPepRally

#CKMeadow

#CKAugust2018

#Click_connect_create

My project today is a 4×4 mini album using the August Meadow Travelers Notebook Kit. I wanted to create a special memory book to document my family’s recent trip to New York City. This kit was perfect!

The little black and white pockets in the kit were perfect for holding tickets and other memorabilia from the trip. The only additional supplies used were the album itself from Close to My Heart and the black and white acetate squares also from CTMH. I have had them in my stash just waiting for the perfect project! My favorite part of the TN kit this month were the black and white Crate Paper Here and There puffy stickers. I was inspired by the B & W theme to create some stamped backgrounds also using a painterly pattern making stamp by Ashley Goldberg.

Leave some love on all the blogs for a chance to win a prize from Clique Kits! And don’t forget to check out the release of the September kit: Farmhouse happening today!

-xGia

Clique Kits July 2018 Pep Rally

Aloha Clique Kits friends! Today’s post is all about celebrating projects made with the July kit: Regatta. I chose this layout to share because it features not only the gorgeous Fancy Pants Designs Poolside collection featured in the kit, but also shows some of the exclusives included in the kit such as the wave cut file by Cecily Moore and those adorable nautical resin pieces. I had my pom pom frame leftover from a previous Clique kit and LOVE the color combination of blue and yellow. I found many really creative layouts using this exclusive cut file in different ways.

If you are not a subscriber you can find the waves cut file in the Clique Kits shop for only $.75 right here.

The Poolside paper clips are also available here.

The yellow acrylic word sticker is from a set that must be sold out because I could not find it in the shop but this set from Love + Lemon Craft was available in the shop about 5 months ago and I hope it is brought back soon!

The Regatta main kit or travelers notebook kit are available here a la carte while supplies last- hurry before they are gone! You can also find odds and ends from the kit by following this link.

If you scroll down my blog you will see some more recent posts featuring Regatta kit layouts as well as recent Clique Kits shop purchase layouts, many items still available if you are feeling inspired!

July Pep Rally Line-up:

*Clique Kits* – http://cliquekitsblog.weebly.com/blog
You are here—-> *Gia Lau* – https://giaaloha.com/
*Maryám Pérez* – http://maryamperez.blogspot.com/
*Sara Scraps* – https://rediscoveryourstash.com/sarascraps/
*Jackie Howell* – https://www.instagram.com/cheekypapercreations/
*Hannah Lemieux* – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFOS-ppvPeFoExVzo-mO8Q
*Jasmin Paar* – https://www.paperandglitter.net/
*Nupur Patel* – http://nupurpatel27.blogspot.com/
*Theresa Moxley* – http://larkindesigntm.com/blog/
*Kayla Webber* – https://colorcraftsandcupcakes.blogspot.com/

For Instagram don’t forget to use these hashtags:

#Click_Connect_Create

#CliqueKits

#CKJulyKit

#CKRegatta

#CKPepRally

If you are hopping today, don’t forget to leave a comment on each blog for a chance to win a prize from Clique Kits! Thanks so much for joining and please check out Facebook and the Clique Kits website for the full reveal of the August Kit happening today!

-xGia

Clique Kits June Pep Rally

Hiii-yeeeee! I’m back! Aloha from Maui! Life threw me some curve balls in May and I had to take a little sabbatical from my CK work. Actually, I was not so much on leave as withdrawn to the background and not as visible on the internet while I tackled other pressing situations in my life. I will share more on that later- right now I don’t want to distract from presenting my project! By some miracle during this period completely lacking in mojo, my June Main Kit showed up and I was able to pull off a layout! It was just what the doctor ordered at the time! So thanks Clique girls!

Today’s Pep Rally is a celebration of all of the fun we had with the June Kit: Horizon. I love this kit-it features a couple of beautiful Bella Blvd/Illustrated Faith collections and has lots of little surprises in it.

CK_Jun18_MainKit-16

The hashtags for today’s Pep Rally (drumroll please…)

#click_connect_create

#CKJune2018

#Cliquekits

#CKHorizon

I will share this layout on Instagram also and please do search up these hashtags to find all the other inspiration today!

About “Mamacita Needs a Margarita”

For this layout I used the cut file designed by Lacey Gasper/Lacey Ann Designs exclusive to the June Kit for CK. In searching up her URL I noticed she has a beautiful new website/blog so I hope you check her out. You may have seen me share that my newest toy is the Brother Scan n Cut 2 and I imported the SVG’s of this cut file, separated them, and played with them to suit my layout design. I love that CK gives so many options with their digital downloads.

CK_Jun18_KitCuts-Web_Floral

Its very subtle, but I used a stamp set called “Frond of You” from Ink Road Stamps in black ink and sprinkled some droplets of Caribbean blue mist on my white cardstock before beginning to layer the ephemera and die cuts below my photos. I printed my photos in a smaller size so that I could comfortably fit all 4 of them in a curved row above all of that tropical goodness.

I hope this little “comeback” foreshadows me getting back into the swing of things soon! I can’t wait to get back to the best little online creative community in the world!

-xGia

Clique Kits October Pep Rally featuring Sapphire

Hi there friends of Clique Kits! Welcome to the October Pep Rally. I am looking at this lineup and saying to myself, “Cheeeooooo this is going to be an awesome blog hop!” I am excited that November is coming also, with the lovely November kit Swan Lake. Sometime before or after you hop, don’t forget to head over to the Clique Kits website for a full view of the just revealed November kit in all its glory. And now, back to October and our celebration of all the fun we had with Sapphire featuring Pinkfresh Studios Indigo Hills.

Clique Kits
You are here—>Gia Lau
Nicole Martel <—Go here next
*Magali Le Luc
*Melissa Elsner
*Enza Gudor
*Nathalie DeSousa
*Caroli Schulz
Maryam Perez
Dani Brown
Sara Mishler
Kim Allen

Today I have two projects to share. The first is a layout that captured a moment in time of my teenage daughter and son, who have always been best friends, walking down the street together. Sometimes we don’t even realize how sweet one moment can be, and often it is not the perfect front view portrait that speaks to our emotions as much as something so candid and real.

As I look back over my years of scrapbooking albums, I am so glad that I learned at some point to forget about all the old “rules” of scrapbooking, like having to do two page spreads, having to use multiple photos, having to work in chronological order, and never ever getting “caught up.” To make scrapbooking meaningful for me, it has to be simple, it has to fit in to my busy schedule, and it has to capture impressions of my life, not so much document the play by play of my daily routine. Of course, the “right” way to scrapbook, is whatever way works for you!

Broken down bit by bit, this page is comprised of very simple paper layers from the kit, fussy cut flowers, white laser cut paper pieces cut from the Amy Tangerine specialty paper in the kit, and some additional pieces of white die cut paper cut using my Kesi Art dies. The leaves dies are sold out, but some others are still available here. I also used the Do Crafts gold mirrored chevron arrows from the shop which look so beautiful in real life! My journaling is a sentiment from this stamp, by Altenew. It is an extra large set with many fun sayings I use often.

Another way I love to use my kit supplies, is to create mini albums. I sometimes think I need to stop making them, because they are more difficult to store in an archival way in the tropical climate I live in. So if you have any tips or suggestions for managing storage issues with mini albums, I would love to hear from you. Every time I think I should stick to archival quality album pages, I find myself relapsing. It truly is an addiction- because I can get my creative fix to scrapbook, in a short amount of time, while completing a project in one sitting! Now that is a satisfying experience- here is how I got another “fix” from the October kit.

I started with lightly frosted acrylic hearts as front and back covers and made my own binding from blue jute twine. The real copper painted skeleton leaves in the kit were the perfect finishing touch. In addition to the papers in the kit, I used some plain watercolor paper as some of the pages in order to add some mixed media to the book for interest and texture. The stencil and some of the paints I used came in the Clique Agenda Traveler Notebook Wander Kit, which has unfortunately sold out. It was truly one of my favorite limited edition kits ever. The good news is, another limited edition travelers notebook kit is available for pre-order. You can pick up the Gratitude Travelers Notebook kit with some fantastic exclusive products in it right here. Take advantage of the pre-order pricing because once these kits start shipping it will go up to full price. Make sure you get in on the copper texture medium in the shop if you can, and this beautiful and versatile Kesi Art die. I promise you won’t regret it.

Thank you for coming by today and I hope you will leave a comment here and on all of the blogs along the way to be entered to win the October kit! You could be participating in this event next month as a subscriber earning free product credit to use to personalize your monthly kit box with extras from the shop. Fun + economical = Awesome.

Now head over to Nicole’s blog for more inspiring projects!

-xoGia

Clique Kits Pep Rally: Moon Child

September 2016 Line-Up
Start here—->Clique Kits
Gia Lau <—– You are here
Go here next—–>Erica Thompson
Nicole Martel
*Marcia Dehn-Nix
Kim Allen
*Melissa Vining
*Donna Espiritu
*Leigh Ann Odynski
Sandy Gonzalez
*Elisabetta Margini
*Aliza Deutsch
Sara Mishler

Aloha and Happy Fall (it’s official now and October is right around the corner!) I hope you have been enjoying the reveal of the October Clique Kits monthly kit Sapphire-featuring the newest Pinkfresh Studio collection Indigo Hills. From the mood board to all the sneak peeks to the inspiration already rolling over on the Clique Kits Blog–I am chomping at the bit to get creating with it! But today’s purpose is to celebrate our creations with last month’s kit, and without further ado…

The challenge: Who do you love to the moon and back? We want to see them on your Pep Rally entry!

Of course I could choose from many, many people I love to the moon and back, but decided to show this layout featuring my youngest baby! We took a trip together this past May to Sedona, Arizona and I loved this snapshot of him while we were on a desert jeep tour through the red rock formations in the Sedona landscape.

To create this layout I first used yellow watercolor wash around the border of a piece of white cardstock. I then layered some of the pretty patterned papers in the kit behind my photo. Next I embellished with my title chipboard, a flair, and some ephemera. I really loved the butterflies in this kit. I finished the layout with a little bit of stamping just for fun.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look. And now have a great time grabbing your favorite beverage and enjoying the rest of the hop! Leave a comment on each blog to be entered to win a Clique Kits store credit!

If you have not already joined The Clique on Facebook now is a great time to participate in the World Card Making Event online this Saturday, October 1st- everyone welcome! Until midnight tonight, pick up a past kit on sale in the shop for only 19.99. This sale includes many recent favorites- but hurry because when they are gone they are gone!

The Clique Kits Holiday kits (card and BIG documenting kit) are famous for being HUGE and jam packed with holiday goodness. An incredible value compared to other kits costing twice as much in some cases! As a subscriber, you save 20% on these and all limited edition kits! If there is any time of year this perk pays off-it is when preparing for the holidays! We have a follow up to our recent and now SOLD OUT (or close to it) travelers notebook kit coming soon! A special 30 days of gratitude edition soon to be released, with prompts and inspiration from our spectacular NEW design team!

ck_oct16-kit19 — Look at this beautiful October Kit Oh My !!

Speaking of the new Design Team, don’t miss their introduction blog hop this Saturday, October 1st starting on the Clique Kits blog. We are really, really grateful to the 2015-2016 design team, and will be soooooo sad to see them finish out their term this month. I for one cannot thank them enough for their hard work, creative genius, and enthusiastic inspiration on a daily basis. They will certainly be missed, those who are moving on to pursue other adventures in papercrafting- we wish them the best !

Have a wonderful day, and hope to see you again soon!

-xoGia

Clique Kits August Pep Rally

Well, it’s official. I no longer post on this blog unless it’s a Pep Rally day! How sad is that? Still, I am really grateful that this monthly event for my kit club Clique Kits happens, or I just might let this passion-scrapbooking- totally disappear from my life! I really hope I can carve out more time to create and blog- it is so much fun to be part of this online community of creative friends around the world.

This month we are sharing projects using the August kit: Rio. It was kind of fun to have a kit whose name was inspired by an ancient global sports competition that only happens every 4 years! Rio was one of my favorite kits this year. Details on winning prizes can be found on the Clique Kits blog post (see link below). If you are a blogger who enjoys doing blog hops and posting your creations online, I highly recommend you visit the Clique Kits website where you can read about the many benefits of subscribing.

August 2016 Line-Up

If you get lost or need info go back here—->Clique Kits
Gia Lau <—-You are here
Go here next—->Erica Thompson
*Kat Benjamin
*Marcia Dehn-Nix
Kim Allen
*Maryam Perez
*Caroli Schulz
*Melissa Vining
*Leeann Pearce
Sara Mishler
Donna Espiritu
Leigh Ann Odynski

An Instax Mini Album

First let me say that I have had an Instax Mini 8 camera since Christmas. The thought of spending $1.00 per print (that is approximately how much the “film” costs) -I’m not gonna lie-made me really hesitant to snap a lot of the time! What if it didn’t come out as expected? What if I end up with lots of wasted time and money? The camera sat on the shelf except at birthday parties when my kids would take it out for their impromptu photo booths. At least they could have fun, because they didn’t think about the cost!

Then I decided to try the Instax Share printer, which I finally got for my birthday this August- which uses the same film to produce mini polaroids, but prints images directly from a source- such as my iphone! Yay! I love this so much better, and did not hesitate to print out an album full of pics, knowing in advance how the photos would turn out!

Disclaimer**

If you cringe at the thought of a somewhat corny, lovey-d0vey album featuring two “old people’s ridiculous selfies” –that is a direct quote from my teenagers– then you might want to skip to the next blog (Ahem. You have been warned.)

Everything I used to fill the pages came from the August kit Rio , plus a couple of store item add ons (the Amy Tangerine rubber embellishments , the blue acrylic heart on the cover, and one pineapple die cut from the Clique into Summer kit)

I just love a little chunky mini that fits in the palm of my hand and is FULL of memories. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

-xoGia

Clique Kits July Pep Rally

PepRallyRaskog

It’s July 20th and that means Pep Rally Day! Welcome! I am so excited to see what everyone made with the July Clique Kit Raskog this month. I believe this kit has nearly Sold Out in the Clique Kits shop ( hurry there may be one or two left!) but you should check out all of the a la carte items available coordinating with this and other kits! We just received notice that some of the brand new Summer 2016 Releases are on their way to Clique Kits- which means stay tuned for even more hype on social media and another big clearance sale (because we have to make room for all the new stuff in the CK warehouse!)

July 2016 Line-Up
Clique Kits
You Are Here—>Gia Lau
Erica Thompson <—Go Here Next
*Justyna Kowron
*Elisabetta Margini
*Aliza Deutsch
*Candace Perkins
Janet Perafan-Babar
Sandy Gonzalez
Kim Allen
*Leeann Pearce
*Kim Oedekoven
Maryam Perez
Caroli Schulz
Donna Espiritu
Sara Mishler
Leigh Ann Odynski

The Softer Side of Raskog and Combining Old and New Kits

Here is my project for today’s blog share. I really loved the exclusive card that says, “She decided to live the life she always imagined” in the Raskog Kit. Most of my other layouts using this kit (which I am working on killing) were super bold and graphic! I decided to change it up with this one and show the softer side of Raskog! (You can check out my bold and graphic layouts here and here.)

I have probably mentioned before that whenever I start a layout, I plan my color palette first and foremost. For this layout, I wanted to use the pastel colors that are in the kit- aqua blue, pastel yellow, and just a touch of pink. Having some variety of the intensity of these colors adds interest and more depth in layering them. Grey is one of my favorite neutrals these days, and I love it even more so combined with pastel aqua or yellow.

I started my layout design by planning a tag banner across the top of my page using tags leftover from a previous Clique Kit called Alegria (Fancy Pants Designs Happy Place tags) combined with some of the rubber flags in the Raskog kit.

To help me to soften my background in a subtle way, I used this Tutti Frutti Dazzlerz shimmering dimensional paste which was a shop item and add on from previous kits. Anything by Shimmerz brand seems to fly off the shelves, but there may be some colors left in the shop here. This media is like a pigmented gel but with a consistency of fluffy icing that made me kind of want to eat a spoonful of it. (Luckily, I resisted that urge.) The pale blush color softened and added some shimmer to the pretty grey and white checkered paper.

I embellished the banner a little more with some adorable stickers from the Magical Sticker Sheet. I have a thing for unicorns.:-)

Last but not least, I went to the Clique Monthly Downloads page in search of a die cut design to add to my page. I loved this one from the June Kit La Dolce Vita. Subscribers get access to this page and get unlimited free downloads of the kit digitals to use over and over. Even non subscribers can find great digitals for purchase in the digital shop. Usually once the kit ages, the coordinating die cut files are loaded to this shop for anyone to purchase!

Here is another closeup and finally the finished layout again!

I hope you like this layout and enjoyed reading a bit about my process. One of these days I will overcome my shyness to make process videos for the Clique. But in the meantime I am stuck writing it all out. :)-

Now let’s go see what amazing scrapbooker Erica has to show us. Now she DOES make videos, and you should all make sure you subscribe to the CK You Tube channel as well as the amazing channels of many of our current Varsity DT members. Enjoy!

-xoGia

Clique Kits June Pep Rally

Pep RallyJune16

Happy second day of summer in the northern hemisphere! Perfect time for some really summery layouts using my June Kit La Dolce Vita…The Sweet Life! Here is the lineup for today’s blog share! I can’t wait to see what everyone is sharing today!

Clique Kits

You are here———————>Gia Lau
*Kat Benjamin <————–Go here next
*Elisabetta Margini
*Marcia Dehn-Nix
*Aliza Deutsch
*Candace Perkins
Sandy Gonzalez
Kim Allen
Maryam Perez
Sara Mishler
Audrey Yeager
Kim Oedekoven
Donna Espiritu
Janet Perafan-Babar
Janet Zeppa
Mariah Hechler

Visitors can enter to win a free kit by leaving a comment on each blog. Bloggers of course will earn product credits for participating and be entered to win the monthly prize of extra credits! I already have my product credits wish list for shipment with my July kit. There are great sales going on this summer-a new sale each week which helps to stretch the budget even further! You can use code CK40 for the weekly sale items. And don’t forget to order your limited edition Clique into Summer 2016!

Summer Layouts: Creating Drama with Large Titles!

This month I challenged myself to get back into the swing of using my Silhouette Cameo before it gets corroded under layers of dust and rust. I am always so glad I exerted the effort whenever I take advantage of the many digital files available to the Clique.

For my first layout I wanted to use the negative space of a large die cut title. This one is actually one of Clique Kits past kit die cut files from last July! I love the soft pastels and the tiny floral patterns in the Elle’s Studio collection featured in this month’s kit. The acrylic piece is really special too and deserved to be a focal point. Finally, my finishing touch was an add on item-the mirrored hexagons from British company Do Crafts.

Here is another layout with a large title die cut with my Silhouette Cameo using one of the June kit monthly cut files. For this one using the positive image for a white on white textured look I blew the size of the title up really huge. The exclusive cards and one of the 6×6 papers were very sparsely layered behind my photo and title. I wasn’t sure at first how to use the clear acetate words and shapes in the kit but found out my favorite look is when they are layered just as they are adding depth to an otherwise flat page.

Thanks so much for stopping in and enjoy all of the amazing inspiration to follow!

-xoxo Gia