Simple Stories – Gia Aloha

Holiday Blog Hop: Clique Kits & Bad Girls Couture

Hi Everyone and welcome to our Clique Kits X Bad Girls Couture Holiday Blog Hop! You will definitely be inspired with the vast array of holiday projects that we have created…there is something for everyone. Grab your favorite cuppa, join the CLIQUE, and get ready to be a BAD GIRL maker as we take you on an AMAZING creative journey!

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES!!!

We have lots of store Gift Certificates to the Clique & Bad Girls Couture Shops…this way you can shop to your heart’s content and treat yourself for Christmas! Make sure you enter by following @cliquekits & @badgirlscouture2007 and tagging a friend on Instagram!

To get extra entries sign up for our newsletters @ www.badgirlscouture.com & www.cliquekits.com

Blog Hop Participants:

www.badgirlscouture.com/blog

https://funkyfreshcool.blogspot.com

www.datatar.blogspot.com

https://scrappydonna.blogspot.com

http://nicolekerrink.blogspot.com

https://lovingoutloudart.wordpress.com

https://nicolemartel.blogspot.com

www.giaaloha.com

http://cliquekitsblog.weebly.com

Here is my first project! I created an altered wood slice as a holiday decoration!

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I made a 2 minute preview video to show you some of the Clique Kits Vintage Lovers Christmas kit that I used for both of my projects as well as the Bad Girls Couture products and other things in my stash. You can find the video preview on the Clique Kits You Tube Channel here. Here is a close up!

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I used Haute Mess products including some Matte Gel Medium, Molding Paste, and Acrylic Paint in Torrid.

I also used a Joy acrylic piece by Bella Blvd. from the Clique Kits shop as my title piece. I loved how the translucency of the red acrylic piece and the resin snowflake I made with 2 part resin, a Wilton silicone candy mold, and the glass glitter in the kit complemented each other and also let light through to add more depth. (see more in the video)

Everything else you see here came from the Vintage Lovers Christmas Kit including the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Christmas paper collection, the fabric scraps, and the flowers.

For my second project I am sharing some work I have started on making my Bad Girls Couture Art Journal ( which is available in a bundle with media and paint as a starter kit in the Clique Kits shop while supplies last) into a nostalgic holiday memory album. The idea is to create a foundation to go back in during the month of December and add photos and journaling to remember the holiday season this year. The Cobblestone Lane art Journal will always be stocked and fully customizable on the Bad Girls Couture website! So many great options! While you are checking out the Bad Girls website you will definitely fall in love with all of the colors of paints!

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Here is my simple but glam cover! It has been painted white like snow and I gave an old broken Christmas ornament a new life as my cover bling. I love upcycling and making something out of something else in my artwork whether it is something sentimental to me or a found object or thrift shop find!

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The inside cover of my journal started out with a fabric pocket and in order to alter it to match my Christmas theme I simply covered over the old fabric with a red and white striped fabric scrap.( I found these rolls of self adhesive fabrics in a Japanese store in Honolulu called Daiso which is like a dollar store and they come in handy when sewing is inconvenient!) . I tucked a vintage postcard and a tea bag I made with plain, empty tea bags, stamps and ink, and paper stars from the kit stapled on with a Tim Holtz tiny attacher. The tea bags came from the Vintage Vibe ephemera pack in the Clique Kits shop. The first page in my book is made with the limited edition Kraft Booklet page from Bad Girls Couture.

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In this spread you will see repetition of a theme of kraft with the haute mess fast drying matte finish paints and some molding medium which was spread over a snowflake stencil. There are numbered Advent tags in the kit which I plan to tuck in throughout the book to loosely keep track of the festivities throughout the month leading up to the 25th. I joined the next two pages together to create 2 additional pockets for some tags. I had fun again applying paint and some bits of old book pages in the Vintage vibe ephemera pack.

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The last page I am showing today is set up for me to document my youngest baby’s list for Santa this year. It came together fast with a piece of the Altenew Gradient Lines washi tape in the Clique Kits shop. White gesso is a perfect medium to use to prep a surface for journaling later on!

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Once again, everything needed for this project can be found here or go ahead and start exploring the customization possibilities at Bad Girls Couture! Now it’s time to head over to the Clique Kits Blog for the end of the hop and wrap up post!

-xGia

Simple Stories Happy Easter Simple Set

I am a sucker for the way that Simple Stories company usually does a Spring line with a vintage farmhouse feel to it. I will never forget their first one- the Vintage Bliss line! It is still one of my favorite “greatest hits” by Simple Stories.

But getting back to the latest “Happy Easter” Simple Set, it was love at first sight for me!

Make sure you visit the Clique Kits Spring and Easter shop! You might also like to pick up some of this adorable rose trim from Kaisercraft used in my banner!. Use my code GIA10 to save 10% on your Clique Kits shop order!

-xGia

January Clique Kit Layout

Aloha! Today I am sharing a layout I made using the January Clique Kit called Hey, Sugar! This kit is still available to purchase here and is perfect for the month of love! I am one of those kind of corny girls who uses Valentine’s Day as a common theme pretty much all year long. I mean, when is it the wrong time to express love? Definitely check out all of the contents of this beautiful kit! And while you are there, many other fun Valentine’s Day products are available in the Clique Kits shop! And now for some close up views.

Happy Ground Hog’s Day!

-xoGia

Clique into Summer: Hawaii Faves

I used the Clique Kits Limited Edition Summer Kit to create a fun mini album which serves as a pictorial guide book to all of my favorite scenic and cultural sites on Oahu. We frequently have visitors who naturally want to take in all of the beauty and culture in Hawaii-so what better way to get my “extra” photos into an album I can keep on display for them to peruse! Most of these photos were taken during day trips, hikes, and other events but never made it onto a layout of that particular event or trip.

Here are some of the specs of this album! It is approximately 4 x 6 in dimensions, perfect for holding my 4 x 6 photos and designed to resemble a camera with a twist! This album features a zebra pattern cover. My cover also features a peek -a -boo wooden hand-marbled heart. Throughout the album I repeated the design of white gesso backgrounds, crab washi tape, and full page photos. Both of the cover items (zebra and marbled heart) are on clearance in the Clique Kits shop! The rest of this album was made very simply from the Clique Into Summer 2016 kit which features the Simple Stories collection You Are Here. It is perfect for my Hawaii Album! I hope you enjoy the flip through my mini album.

-xo Gia

Clique Kits April Pep Rally featuring Origins

Pep Rally Origins

Welcome to my favorite day of the month-Pep Rally day! And reveal of the new kit! YAY!

Here is today’s lineup of great bloggers featuring projects made using the April Kit Origins. And don’t forget to stop by the Clique Kits website to take a peek at the amazing May kit! It is so incredible- those colors!

Clique Kits https://cliquekits.wordpress.com/

Here—->Gia Lau https://giaaloha.com/

Erica Thompson https://ericarosecreates.wordpress.com/ <—–Next stop

Lacey Gasper http://laceybugcreations.blogspot.com/

*Donna Espiritu http://www.scrappydonna.blogspot.com/

*Justyna Skowron http://www.made-by-justt.blogspot.com/

*Aliza Deutsch http://peopleofthescrapbook.blogspot.com/

*Kat Benjamin http://kraftykat9.blogspot.com

*Marcia Dehn-Nix http://www.onescrapatatime-bymumsie.blogspot.com/

Kim Oedekoven http://krodesigns.blogspot.com/

Sandy Gonzalez http://craftythought.com

Kim Allen http://kimsscrappyblog.blogspot.com/

*Leigh Ann Odynksi http://www.artfulleighcreative.com

Mariah Hechler www.fun2scrap.blogspot.com/

Sarah King http://scrappinmylittleroyals.blogspot.com/

This month I used the Origins kit and one of the best selling add ons- the Maya Road steel geometric heart die – to create the major elements of this layout. First I used the die as intended to cut some of those lovely hearts from the Simple Stories Life in Color patterned paper. I also used the die as a template to cut two heart shapes from the Bella Blvd acetate paper in the kit and I used my WeRMemoryKeepers Fuse tool to adhere them into a pocket which I stuffed with sequins.

I was super excited about how this embellishment turned out! (sequins from Clique kits and Pinkfresh Studios). I used one of the mist colors that coordinates with the Origins kit (Diet Cola) along with some watercolor paint to create a mixed media background for my layout.

These Prima watercolors have been flying off the shelves in the Clique Kits shop. They are so convenient in the adorable little metal box and the colors are so vibrant! I cannot wait until more colors are available!

I loved the mirror acrylic laser cut piece that was a CK exclusive in the April kit. It would make any layout extra special. And the Bella enamel hearts went perfectly with my yellow and greyscale color scheme on this layout! They really added a pop of happiness!

I finished my background with some Kelly Purkey stamps from my stash. I have found that where I used to sew, the fuse has become my new timesaver, for better or worse. Sigh.

I know you will enjoy the rest of the hop! Please leave comments for chances to win an April Kit, (or choice of prize of equivalent value if you are already a subscriber), spread the word and invite all your friends- the more the merrier! Have a happy, happy day!

-xGia

Tuesday’s Topic: A Quick Sketch Challenge

Sunday morning just for fun Erica posted a sketch challenge in the Clique Facebook group for subscribers and fans over at Clique Kits. I had two b&w photos I was planning to scrap anyway so I was up for the challenge and felt inspired by the sketch right away!

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Using my April Clique Kit Origins plus a few simple additions from the Pinkfresh Studios Felicity collection die cut pieces and some washi tape from my stash (and from MAMBI Happy Planner collections) I was done with the layout in less than 20 minutes. I really love the wood veneer title piece that was in this kit from Fancy Pants Designs and the little coffee cup was perfect for the photos of us on a lazy weekend morning having our morning coffee. Here are a couple of other views.

If you would like to join the fun and are not already a member of The Clique simply request an invite to the group or email for an invite to info@cliquekits.com or erica@cliquekits.com.