Simple Stories

Hi Paper Crafters! Nichol here today with two new projects showcasing the gorgeous new Legacy Collection. The rich colors and antique-style collection lends itself perfectly to scrapbooking those heritage photos we have sitting in shoe boxes. Don't feel like you're limited to only heritage layouts, though. This collection would also make stunning pages for those guys in our lives, scrapbooking a European vacation or combine elements with other collections to make one-of-a-kind designs for any theme!

For my layout share today, I created a page around a very favorite heritage family photo that my mom had printed for me. It's always been a favorite photo and I absolutely love how the Legacy Collection perfectly compliments it.

To create my page I first spritzed the Dark Wood/Newsprint 12x12 paper with white Mister Huey to add some distressing and let the droplets dry completely.

Next, I layered a 4x6 Legacy Journaling Card under my 4x6 photograph. A transparency frame from The Story of Us Collection worked perfectly with the design of my page and dressed up the photograph. I printed the date on a Legacy label sticker and placed it near the bottom of the photo. I tucked a couple of tab stickers along the left edge of my photo and adhered the layered piece in the upper left quadrant of my page.

Next to my photograph I layered a couple of the 4x4 journaling cards, distressing the edges of the cards with my fingernail. I added some string to the Legacy tag stickers and stapled them to the left corner of the layered 4x4 cards and added a phrase sticker near the bottom before adhering the embellished cards to the top right quadrant of my page. I tucked a tab sticker under the top edge of the cards and added Legacy Enamel Dots and a clip to finish this square.

In the lower left quadrant of the design I layered two 3x3 journaling cards on a 4x4 journaling card, distressing the edges with my fingernail. I added a phrase sticker, enamel dots and a mini clip to finish this square.

For the lower right quadrant of my page I layered a few of the 2x2 journaling cards, adhering them in a square. I embellished the squares with buttons, and trims from my scrapbook stash. I die cut a couple of tags from one of the Legacy 4x6 journaling cards and embellished those with buttons, trims and a Legacy sticker tag before securing to one of the 2x2 squares.

Finally I printed my journaling on one of the Legacy 12x12 patterned papers, trimmed it down and attached it to my page as shown.

I love creating layered tags. Whether you use them to embellish scrapbook pages, cards or like me, are attaching them to a pinboard to create a fall inspiration board, tags are a great way to unleash your creativity on a small canvas! I am a big fan of using repetitive designs on my pages and could easily incorporate several of these tags on a scrapbook page when I no longer am displaying them on the pinboard.

I layered lots of the Legacy journaling cards on my tags, finishing the pieces with bits of ribbon, ephemera, washi tapes and other embellishments from my scrap stash. I die cut a butterfly from one of the journaling cards and adhered it to the first tag (top left). I die cut the tag itself from a 4x6 journaling card (top center) before embellishing with ribbon and a wood charm. I trimmed down a 4x4 card for camera tag (top right) and trimmed the 3x4 card from the 12x12 paper to adhere on top. I distressed the edges with my fingernail and "secured" the pieces to my tag with washi tape. A couple of small tags die cut from Legacy 2x2 journaling cards and embellished with a Legacy heart sticker, a phrase sticker and ribbon finish this tag.

I have been obsessed with all this shaker lately so I created a shaker tag by die cutting a leaf shape from one of the 3x4 Legacy journaling cards, adhering a transparency cut to the same size behind the "window", then applying a layer of foam tape, inserting sequins and finishing the shaker by adding another 3x4 card as the backing! A hole punched through the top makes this shaker card an instant tag (bottom left). Some wooden letters, twine and a Legacy word sticker finish the tag.

I attached the "F" Legacy 2x2 journaling card with buttons to a tag wrapped with organza trim and burlap (bottom middle). The wooden clothespin from the DIY Collection works perfectly with this fall themed set of tags. For my last tag (bottom right) I die cut a couple of the journaling cards with banner die cuts and attached them to a tag. I wrapped some ribbon around and tied it in a bow, added a Sweater Weather phrase sticker, metal key and ribbon to finish the tag.

Howdy friends!  Layle here and I have a quick and easy project to share with you today that I recently made using our green SN@P! Binder and new School SN@P! Set -

I approached this project a little bit differently than you might think.  I never taken a lot of photos of our boys at school over the years, so I thought I'd combine the majority of the school photos I've taken for both of them and include them in the same album.  I divided it into 3 main sections - the first day of school photos (I take one of those every year, without fail!) and then a section for each of the boys.

Here you can see the last page of the 'first day of school photos' section and the first page of the section for our youngest son, Sam. 

The 3x4 cards and 4x6 cards in this SN@P! Set are so fun!  In several instances, I just adhered 2 4x6 cards or photos back to back, punched holes and added them in the binder, as if they were their own pages. 

The SN@P! Binders make it so easy to put a project like this together!  Once I had printed off the photos, it was just a matter of adding them, along with the cards and fun stickers and Bits & Pieces in the Pocket Pages included in the binder and I was done!  Another scrapping 'to do' marked off of my list!

Hello Simple Stories fans!

I'm excited to share this layout with you because it has happy memories for me.  This was during this past summer when my cousin was visiting and it was time for the girls to get together for a Tea party!

My photos had a rather soft tone to them and I decided to use the Hello Baby collection because the colours were just perfect. Yes, I used a baby collection and there is definitely no babies on this layout!  It's a great collection with soft blues, pink and neutral tones as well.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out out the centre design (Lattice) from the Wood Veneer paper and then backed it with some patterned paper.

On the centre section I then cut out the title banner 'It's a lovely day' (a Simple Stories cut file which you can find in the Silhouette Online store).

After adhering my photos in place along the top & bottom edges I adhered some of the cut-out pieces (from the centre) along the sides using foam squares for some added dimension and visual interest.  In the centre of each block I adhered an Enamel Dot from the Hello Baby collection.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hi there! Donna here with you today, and I’m really excited about today’s project! I don’t keep a Life Documented album, but something that I’ve always wanted to do is to find the best way to include all the “extra” photos I take each year into our family scrapbooks. You know, the ones that never make it onto layouts. Today I want to share with you the photos and stories that fill in gaps of 2013 using Pocket Pages and Sn@p! Collections:

Even though the idea behind this project was to include my extra photos, I knew that I needed to set limits in order to make it manageable. To start, I decided to use only two Design 3 pocket pages which altogether make 32 slots for photos or journaling/title spots. I knew that to keep the project doable, I wouldn’t be able to include all of our extra photos. When choosing photos from the year I aimed to pick somewhere between 25 and 28.

Part of why I’ve put off this endeavor before was because it seemed too overwhelming. So, I also limited my product choices deciding not to use any embellishments other than stickers, and keeping mainly to using SN@P! Sets already in my stash. I relied most on the Him and Everyday SN@P! Sets, but also used Baby Boy, Family, Christmas, and Summer.

As you’ll see below, I also included two cut-out elements cards from Sea to Shining Sea. I really wanted to include one photo of each of my sons creating our Fourth of July flag cake. They had so much fun doing this, but I never made a scrapbook page to document it.

It feels good to finally have that story recorded!

I don’t take tons and tons of photographs, but I take enough that they can’t all make it onto layouts. Plus, some of them, while cute, aren’t all that great. Perhaps they are too dark, or maybe out of focus. Sometimes, there really isn’t enough story there to warrant an entire page. This third page includes a few photos that fit into those categories.

Also, while I don’t create my layouts in chronological order, I do store them in my albums in chronological order. So when I created this fill-in-the-gaps project, I decided to put the photos in order as the year progressed. So you’ll see on this last page photos from fall, Halloween, and Christmas.

These two pocket pages will be placed behind the year-in review spread I make each year (which is more a highlights layout of photos already scrapbooked) and together they will give a more complete picture of our year.

Some more close-ups of the pages, here is a birthday photo of Sam:

As it says in the journaling, we had a very simple celebration at home. And because Sam did not like the cupcakes, I really didn’t have all that many photos of him, well, celebrating. But again, it is good to finally have at least one photo in our albums documenting that special day.

The photo below is from our first day of school last year.

In this case, I actually do have more photos from the day and have meant to scrapbook them, but have just never got around to doing it. I may go back and to do that, but if I don’t, I’ll at least have some record of that day.

Finally, in some cases there really isn’t much to say about a photo. I do get bored sometimes scrapbooking the same types of stories over-and-over again each year. So for instance, while I love our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, carving the pumpkins isn’t really my thing. But I did take a photo of the boys cleaning their pumpkins last year:

The photo is pretty self-explanatory, but I decided to embellish it simply with some stickers from the new Frankie and Friends collection.

With all the product choices available to scrapbookers today it is so easy to get overwhelmed with options. Add to that feeling the multitude of photos that we take in the course of the year. As I worked on this project I kept repeating to myself, keep it simple! In the end, my project fulfills my goals, and it is in keeping with my style.

The best part of completing this project is that my boys saw the pages on our kitchen table as I was photographing them, and they were so happy to see all our memories from the previous year in one place. This project was easy, fun, doable, and honestly, fast too. Thanks for stopping by and letting me share it with you!

Hi everyone! Allison here with a Life Documented layout using the Sweater Weather collection and I've got a new sketch to share with you that combines traditional scrapbooking with the SN@P! Pocket Pages.

You can download the full sketch with measurements and placements here.

The left side of the sketch follows a traditional style of scrapbooking design and the right side uses the SN@P! Pocket Page, Design 6.  Here is my layout based on the sketch:

I can't believe that Fall is right around the corner! There is a part of me that is sad that Summer is coming to an end but I can't deny that I'm really looking forward to Fall! One of my favorite things in the Fall is our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We pack so many great activities into one day and it's always a fantastic time. Sweater Weather was such a terrific complement for documenting our trip to the pumpkin patch.

The 4x12" Elements strip is always one of my favorites to use in every Simple Stories collection. Not only do I love the designs on them but also how easy it is to use them on a layout and add a design around/on them.

For this layout I used the 4x12" strip with the Autumn quote as my title and added some detail photos on the left edge of it.

Along the bottom of the 4x12" strip I used a row of photos. You could easily adjust this part of the sketch to fit what you want to use and could around with different photos sizes.

I added an little extra photo to some of the empty space on the 6x4" photo. A lot of times I like to sneak in photos where I can! I take so many pictures that I try to use as many I can!

On the right page I used a combination of cards and photos with the SN@P! Pocket Page, Design 6

I added a few extra details, like the "love" and heart pieces, to some of the photos.

On this picture I added a little cluster of hearts and the "family" piece to the edge of the photo. I also added some detail stitching to the largest heart. I love the sweater look to that heart!

On the "together" card I added a few sweater hearts cut from patterned paper and added a few stitched lines over them.

I'm using the 12x12 SN@P! faux leather album in black for all of my Life Documented layouts. I love the quality of the faux leather and the pretty accent stitching! I also used the 12x12 SN@P! Pocket Pages, Design 6 from the Variety Pack. I love how many great designs and options you get with the Variety Pack!

Hello Simple Stories fans, Layle here with you today :)

I'm excited to introduce you to our September Guest Designer Megan Hoeppner -

Megan has put together an amazing SN@P! Binder documenting her daughter's first year and has shared some great techniques, so here we go!

Documenting an entire year feels like a jumbo task. Especially if it’s that all important first year. But, guess what! It isn’t! Thanks to the amazing SN@P! line of products by Simple Stories.

Megan Hoeppner here, and I’m so excited to share an extra special project I’ve been working on with you. It’s my baby girl’s first year baby book. I knew I wanted to do one for her, but she’s now two, and I already felt like I didn’t know where to begin... Until Layle sent me a sample of last year’s Simple Stories Baby Girl SN@P! Set to play with. 

The journaling prompts on these cute cards combine with the pockets in the album she sent was just enough to get my creative wheels turning. And, believe it or not, I managed to get 75% of the book done in a single weekend. Isn’t that incredible? And so fun!

Then, like most matters with my life, other things came along that required more attention, and I put the book aside. In the meantime, Simple Stories introduced the Hello Baby collection. No worries! It complements the Baby Girl SN@P! Set beautifully. The colors work so well together, allowing me to blend the two lines for a happy and cohesive finished product. (Because you know I had to get my hands on the STUNNING Hello Baby business.)

TECHNIQUE TIME!!  
If you know me, you know I’m a technique geek. Live for trying new things and playing with my stash in unexpected ways. Just because you’re using SN@P! does not mean you simply have to drop in and go. But you can. That’s the beauty. Or you can add a few tricks to the mix where you feel there’s a natural fit. Here are a few of the techniques featured in my book:

Technique #1: The Cover, Embroidery and Iron-ons

As soon as I got my hands on this beautiful teal burlap SN@P! album, I knew I wanted to personalize it using fabric. You know, since it is also fabric. So I die-cut my daughter’s initials from fabric treated with fusible webbing on the back.

I also ironed iron-on webbing to the back of the pink fabric and the flourishes. But before I ironed anything on, I embroidered “year 1” into the pink fabric.

Then it was easy as grabbing my iron and adding the different layers on.

The spine of the album has a cute bookplate on it, so I grabbed Maggie’s tiny hospital bracelet and stuck it in. It was a perfect fit!

Technique #2: The Inside Cover, Pocket Alteration

Wanting to create a title page, or teaser of sorts, I used the little 2x2 divided pocket page to insert a photo of Maggie taken at each month. I made little numbered onesies for her first year of life, which worked perfectly here. (WARNING—Shameless plug: I also sell these onesies. Please see my site or message me on Facebook if you’d like more info. Thanks!)

For the pocket page to fit, I simply removed the hole binding area using my trimmer. I then glued the page down using large adhesive dots behind my corner and center photos.

Technique #3: My Title Page, Eraser Stamping

I love the see-through aspect of pocket scrapbooking, so I wanted to play that up with my lead page. For starters, I stamped the pocket using a Staz-on ink pad and a pencil eraser.

Once the ink was dry, I adhered chipboard letter stickers inside the long pocket spelling my daughter’s name, added a strip of washi tape down the length of the seam, and stitched the whole business shut using my sewing machine.

Technique #4: Journaling Card Inserts

Wanting to add more layer and interactive elements to my book, I turned some of the 4X6 and 6x4 journaling cards into inserts by punching them using a hole punch and reinforcing those holes with hole reinforcers (go figure) that I picked up at the dollar store. You probably don’t need to reinforce, but it does kind of make it feel more official or something. And you know me; I’m all about being official. ;)

CAPTION: Since the 6x4 cards won’t reach the rings in the binding, I mounted them to 4x6 cards, adding interest, making the reach, and offering more room to write and add photos. This is the front and back of the same card.

Technique #5: Photo Flips

I wanted the same type of interactive inserts for a few of my photos, simply so I’d have room to add a few more. So I took the same approach, punching and reinforcing, and then binding them in.

More like tags, these two 6x4 photos each have a single hole punched in them. They are a bit flopsy this way, but I don’t mind. I like the character it adds.

I stitched two photos back to back here, adding a ticket for a tab

This is your combo meal—the front is a photo, while the back is a journaling card. I also included a doily and some washi tape for added flava.

Technique #6: Photo/Journaling Card Mini Book

This little guy opens like a book. To create this effect, I placed a photo over a journaling card, put tape down a portion of the seam (inside and out), scored a line about 1/4” in from the seam edge of each card (so the “book” would open easier), and then machine stitched using a zigzag stitch for added reinforcement. Now, this little insert opens up, almost like a book within a book.

Technique #7: Shake, Shake, Shake Señora

Naturally, I couldn’t do a pocket album without a shaker pocket or two. For my...innards (?), I used sequins and a few wood veneer pieces. I then stitched the pocket shut. NOTE: See the “April” insert for how this stitching works on the back to create a flap.

Technique #8: Brush Script on Glassine

One of my favorite techniques to do right now is brush words and doodles onto glassine bags using a paintbrush and either india ink/calligraphy ink or plain spray ink. On this one, I used a teal Mister Huey’s spray ink. Don’t forget to add a few splatters by tapping your wet brush over your area using your finger. It makes it feel a bit more artsy.

Technique #9: Tag Flap

Even the smallest of pockets can have some technique time. For this 2x2 friend, I inserted one of the DIY Shoppe tags. For the portion that sticks out above the pocket, I scored a line and folded it over. I then inserted a brad into the sleeve (using a paper piercer) and tied the tag down to create a flap/closure. This is a nice trick if you have areas of journaling you want left a bit more private, though that isn’t the case with this little tale.

Technique #10: Photo Flap

With nothing more than a strip of cute tape, you can create a flap on your pocket. I first adhered a small (2x2”) image to a frame I fussy cut from a sheet of the Hello World paper. I added my photo and a strip of tape, and just like that you have a flap. Great when you want to add more journaling or images.

MONTHLY DIVIDERS


Wanting to separate each month in a creative way, I added the following dividers, starting with June, which is when my love entered our lives.

June

Tracing paper and a gel pen. I punched the paper with a small heart punch and pinned it to the page.

July

Punched journaling card (holes for binding), a few strips of washi tape, and letter stickers.

August & September

I altered the “A—Adorable” pre-made card to read “A—August” using letter stickers. I then added some pen stitching around the large A.  Same technique for September.

October

I added stickers to the outside of the pocket, traced around the stickers using a permanent marker, and removed the stickers, leaving me with open letters that allow the pattern beneath to show through.

November

Super simple. Just spelled out November across the bottom of my photo using letter stickers.

December

Possibly my favorite divider, this is just a strip of cardstock paired with a shipping tag, a piece of tracing paper, and a few chipboard embellishments.

January

Jan. stickers added to strips of washi. Another fast and easy trick.

February

I punched a heart in a ticket, wrote “February” and stapled the ticket to the sleeve.

March

I used white india ink to brush the word “March” on the journaling card. I also wrote “9 mo.” and added some splatter. NOTE: This does require a few coats when using white ink.

April

Maybe the most involved of the bunch, I first scored the line between the “10 months” area of the card and the rest of the 6x4 journaling card, creating a flap. To help indicate the flap aspect, I then punched a half circle out from the cards “10 months” end. I slid the photo portion of the card inside the pocket and left the “10 months” flap out. To make sure it all stays in place, I then stitched along the seam between the two areas. Now, when you lift the flap, you’ll see the month and some journaling about that month.

May

I cut the arrow insert from a sheet of 12x12 Hello World patterned paper and added letter stickers to spell the month.

June

I cut one row from the the 2x2 square page (the row with the holes for the ring binding). I then inserted the cards spelling “June.”

BONUS PAGES


Beyond the monthly highlights, I wanted to include a few additional items in Maggie’s book, including the following:

12 Months Scrapbook Page

Just a few thoughts from Maggie’s daddy and me about how much this first year of her life has meant to us.

Bracelet Pocket

The pre-made SN@P! pockets made it super easy to include some memorabilia in my book!

F*R*I*E*N*D*S

A look at some of the delightful friends Maggie made during her first year of life.

Made with Love

A couple of messages from me about the love that went into this book and how it all stems from the immense love I have for my girl. I want her to always know what a positive an amazing addition she is to our family, even when she’s raising a family of her own one day.

I wrote this on the back of her 12-month layout. The paper was already lined, making it so easy.

Just like the library books of yesteryear, this book has a pocket added to its back inside cover, where I placed a few additional love notes for my girl.

The End

Wanting to add my own “Gold Crown” mark, I concluded my project with a little iron-on heart. Before ironing it on, I embroidered her birthday. I also added a second, felt heart for some additional texture.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
!!  You know I couldn’t stop here. I also wanted to create a 12x12 layout for my own scrapbook album. See how unbelievably easy this was to do (seriously took no more than 30 minutes) using a sheet of paper from the Hello Baby collection. I’m sharing it on my blog, along with a mini book for Grandma about Maggie’s first year, which also came together remarkably fast.


Hope you’ll come by. I’m now at www.MeganHoeppner.com. Simply click “blog,” and then “view blog” to see my post.

Whew! Thanks for hanging in there with me on this one. I know it’s a tad... lengthy. ;) I realize you may not incorporate each of these ideas into your own album, but I hope you’ve found at least one take-away that you can’t wait to try. If so, I’d love it if you’d share with me. Thanks a bunch! All the best to you as you tell your own stories. Remember to enjoy your creative journey.

I’ll leave you with a little video tour below of my finished book or you watch it here.

Cheers! Megan

Howdy friends!  Layle here with you today!

Do you love mini albums, but are tired of the same old techniques?  Are you stumped when it comes to creating with our 6x8 SN@P! Binders, not sure where to start?!! 

If you're raising your hand, you're in luck!  I'll be tackling this VERY subject for True Scrap 6 - an online, LIVE virtual scrapbooking event October 17th and 18th, with inspiration and education from 9 A-list instructors including Nichol Magouirk, Jennifer Gallacher, Donna Salazar and more!

Click here to learn more about this great virtual event, including the list of instructors, their class descriptions, more about my class (I'll be covering more than 10 different innovative and interactive, techniques for taking your mini books and SN@P! Binders from blah to ahhhh!) and to register.

Here's a little more about my class -

Flip It, Score It, Make It, Shake It!:  Innovative, Interactive Mini Book Techniques With Layle Koncar

From flips that lift and tabs that pull to peek-a-boos & see throughs, mini books can open up a whole new world when it comes to innovative elements for your reader to interact with.  Join Layle Koncar in this "Flip It, Score It, Make It, Shake It!:  Innovative, Interactive Mini Book Techniques" class as she shares 12 of her favorite interactive techniques for spicing up your mini books, many of which can also be incorporated into your traditional and Pocket Page scrapbooking projects!

Click here for all the details!

Hope to (virtually) see you there!

Hi there, Layle with you today for another round of Pick a Card, Any Card!

Each month, 5 of our design team members and I will be picking one of our favorite Simple Stories or SN@P! 3x4 or 4x6 cards and sharing them with you - in more ways than one!  We've introduced so many GREAT cards over the last few years that I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite cards each month, tell you why they're our favorites and then give you a chance to win not only the specific cards that we picked, but the other cards they're paired up with as part of the set (more on that fun giveaway at the end of this post)!

If you missed last month's picks, you can see them here.

To kick off this month's version of Pick a Card, Any Card, here's one of my favorites -

This card is one of the 3x4 Cards from our new School SN@P! Set.  I just love the 'HELLO' on the display - it reminds me of being a kid and trying to make up words on the calculator!

Next up is Rebecca Keppel with this 4x6 card from our Good Day Sunshine SN@P! Cards -

When I asked Rebecca why she choose this particular card, she said -

My kids are in their 3rd week of school already, so I am missing and remembering our summer and this card says it all! Plus I love the rainbow gradient from the Good Day Sunshine collection that is featured as the background of this card. And the flip side? Diagonal stripes in teal, my favorite color. This card has it all for me :)

Shellye McDaniel chose this 4x6 card from the Cozy Christmas 4x6 Horiztonal Elements -

When I asked Shellye why she chose this card, she said -

I love the mix of simple, real-life elements mixed in with graphic design; you will see this a lot throughout the newest Simple Stories Collections!  This particular card really stood out to me:  I love the pop of red from the ornament, that little bit of tree branch poking out, the muted background and the various fun fonts...it truly looks like an old photo made new again with a few words sprinkled over the top!  And the sentiment is perfect for a card, which makes it perfect for my crafting.

Teri Anderson selected this 3x4 card from the Cat SN@P! Set -

According to Teri -

Ever see something and just spontaneously start giggling? Yep. That's this card for me. That sweet yet devilish cat is just the best. And even though I don't even have a cat, I totally plan on using this card on a page to document my dog's love/hate relationship with the neighborhood kitties.

Next up is Vicki Boutin with this 3x4 card from our new Seasons SN@P! Set -

When I asked Vicki why she selected this card, she said -

This card is a fav because I love color palette and the look on that little snowman's face is too cute.  I can see myself using this card for so many different things! 

Last up this month is Wendy Antenucci with this 4x6 card from the Legacy SN@P! Cards -

According to Wendy -

I LOVE the cards from the Legacy collection!  The sayings on these cards are why I scrapbook.  How about the card, Celebrate your Life honor those that made it possible?  or this one, this is what matters most?  The Legacy collection is the collection that will really make pages that are lasting and will impact the future generation.  These cards will not only tell who you are, but who your family is and what you stand for.

So, what do you think?  How about those picks - pretty fun, right?!

OK, now to more good stuff.  At the beginning of this post I mentioned something about a giveaway!  Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below by end of day Saturday, September 6th telling me which of our 6 cards is your favorite and why.  On Sunday the 14th I'll draw one random lucky winner to win not only the cards we selected, but the rest of the cards that are included with each package the cards are from  - that's 198 fabulous Simple Stories cards; you can see all of the cards one random lucky will win under the Supplies section below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Hello again, Simple Stories fans! Teri here today, and I'm here with another Life Documented project. I'm excited to share with you a couple more  pages made with the Good Day Sunshine collection. 

I just love the bright, happy colors of this collection. I think it just screams Summer so I thought it would be perfect to use to document a late-Summer trip to the fair. I had signed up to take part in a 5K race at the fair and then got enjoy the fair's sights and sounds afterwards. It was such a fun day and totally worth remembering!

One of my favorite elements of these pages are the pockets along the top of this page. I took some of the SN@P! Cuts and then added layers of twine and paper to them. One of the things I really love about Simple Stories' products is you can use them as they come or you customize them by adding embellishments, paper and stickers to them and really make them your own. That's so cool! 

If you look really close here, you'll see one of the Good Day Sunshine SN@P! pockets. I typed some thoughts about the day on a journaling card and just slid them into the pocket. To make the pocket a little more customized, I added a die-cut and a little twine to it. 

I sure had a fun time putting together the second page of my spread. Believe it or not, I made my own decorative tape with some Good Day Sunshine patterned paper! 

It was so easy! I cut strips of patterned paper and then applied two-way tape to it. When it came time to use it, I just tore off a little bit of paper... just like real tape.

One other fun thing about the right page is that top right pocket. I had a bunch of different die-cuts, stickers and brads from Good Day Sunshine collection that were left-over from other projects I worked on and I thought, "What if I mix them up?" Sure enough. That's what I did. I went to town, mixing them randomly together to make the card for the pocket. I think it turned out pretty cool!

I also used one of Simple Stories' Photo Flips on my page so I that I could add another picture to the mix.

By the way, are you guys familiar with the Photo Flips? http://simplestories.com/products/photo-flips They are amazing! Here's why: They are like little pockets. You fill them up with photos, SN@P! Cards or anything your heart desires. Then you adhere the Photo Flips (which have adhesive on them) to your page. 

And one more thing I should mention. After I completed my pages, I still had my race bib to scrap. So what did I do? Easy! I grabbed a 6x8 Pocket Page and slapped it in it and added it right to the spread. If you run or know someone who runs and want to scrapbook those bibs, I've found those pocket pages fit many of the race bibs out there. 

So before I go, let's talk about albums. I'm using a 12x12 SN@P! faux leather album in red to document all of my 2014 adventures in. I often scrapbook out of order so it's really nice that the album's ring binding allows me to do that. I used the SN@P! Pocket Pages Design 3 for these pages. I also used one of the 6x8 Pocket Pages.  It's cool that Simple Stories offers so many different styles of pages. I dig being able to mix them together. I think it helps keeps my pages interesting!

See you again,

Teri

Howdy friends, Layle here :) 

Great news, the Legacy Simple Inspiration eBook is now available for download! 

Simple Inspiration eBooks include beautiful photography, project ideas, design tips and inspiration on how you can create with our fabulous Simple Stories collections!  The new Simple Inspiration eBooks include a little something for everyone - layouts, SN@P! Binders, pocket page spreads, home decor items and cards.

Simply click on the link below for your free download & enjoy! -

Legacy Simple Inspiration eBook Free Download

Visit the Project Downloads section of our website to download Simple Inspiration eBooks and Project Idea Sheets from our past collections.

Hi everyone, Marie here to share a 6x8 Sn@p! album using the new Legacy collection.  I've been researching our family's genealogy for the past couple of years, and I'm finally getting all of those stories and photos organized into an album. 

I have to admit the Legacy collection made putting this album together a breeze.  There were blank genealogy cards and charts included, so all I had to do was add our family's information.  I was also a big fan of the colors in this collection. The muted red, aqua, and yellow colors really make a pretty backdrop for black and white photos.

I added in memorabilia in Sn@p! Pockets througout the album. I even have a copy of my grandfather's high school report card in there.  I also used vellum to print out several photos and letters in this album.  I think it adds a nice vintage touch.

The 2x2 Insta-Pocket Pages are still my favorite way to add in a lot of pictures in a small space.  I love that Simple Stories has a variety of Pocket Pages to choose from. 

For this album I used a 6x8 SNAP! Faux Leather Album in brown.  It was the perfect size and color for this project!     

Hi everyone!  It's Emily with you today.  I've recently discovered hiking.... ok, I'm a little late to the party, but I have been out of shape for years and never thought that I would be able to "take a hike" per say. A few weeks ago my husband and I decided to go hike some trails that were located by a lake, really scenic and very beautiful! So we took a few photos. Of course, I HAD to make a layout! 

The "Under the Stars" collection isn't just for camping. This collection was perfect for my hiking photos! I love that the collection is small, so I have no problem using it all up with these photos. I'm not a campy type person, but I do love being outdoors. This collection is a must have if you are outdoorsy! 

I used some templates from Kiwi Lane Designs to add a little extra to my layout. I wanted to layer the papers in this collection because they are all such beautiful papers and need to be seen! 

Thanks for joining me today! 

Hey everyone!  Andrea here with you today, and I’m super excited to share a cute Halloween tree I made using the new Frankie and Friends collection.  I LOVE THIS COLLECTION!  Halloween is my most favorite holiday, and I’ve been waiting for Simple Stories to make a collection specific to it for a long time - and I’m so glad they did!

Here it is:

I found a black urn and branches at my local craft store and that became the “canvas” to work with.  Think of decorating your Christmas tree; that’s exactly how I tackled this, except that I wanted to include photos of my family in their Halloween costumes from years past.

I decorated pieces of chipboard with papers from the collection and photos, and jazzed them up with the embellishments.

I strung them with ribbon and tied them to the branches.

This will sit on a table in the corner of my living room, and I’ll be able to add photos to it each year.  I had a blast doing this, and I hope it inspires you to use your scrapbook supplies to capture your memories in a fun, different way.

Thanks for joining me!

Hello Simple Stories fans, Layle here with you today :)

I'm excited to introduce you to our August Guest Designer Glenda Viljoen -

Here's a little bit about Glenda -

My name is Glenda Viljoen. I live in a city just east of Johannesburg with my husband Gary, two sons Byron and Kyle. My professional qualification is teaching where I taught children for many years – that was until I discovered scrapbooking. I am now fortunate to be able to combine my passion for scrapbooking and a business. I own SA Scrapbook Convention, an event company that organizes scrapbook and mixed media events in South Africa. In 2010, I attended Ranger University in New Jersey, USA and am a certified Ranger Instructor. My primary goal is to take scrapbooking on a never ending journey beyond mundane, repetitious themes and content. I look forward to creating layouts with the innovative, exciting and interesting new product to ultimately inspire others to share their story and be creative.

Before I share Glenda's beautiful layouts with you, I gave her 8 prompts - here are her responses :)

Scariest Thing – Just a couple more weeks to Christmas…18 weeks to be exact.

Favorite Snack – Popcorn: salted, buttered, caramel

Can’t Figure Out – How to create a couple of extra hours in my day just to do all the things I would like to do.

Match Made in Heaven – Chocolate and nuts!

Probably Shouldn’t Have – Chocolate and nuts…

Current Addiction – Glitter and gold foil paper in all forms on a layout and cards.

Bringing to the Party – Creamy potato bake and Malva pudding (a South African baked sponge dessert soaked in a syrup type sauce).

Words to Live By – “What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” Eleanor Powell

Fun, huh?!

Allrighty, now let's get to the good stuff!

Glenda's first project - Story of Us - along with some of her thoughts on the layout -

The name of the collection, ‘Story of Us’ was the creative start to this layout. While browsing through the versatile paper, fun embellishments and other interesting elements, ideas were born. The confetti and sequins on the paper just had to have sequins and beads stitched onto them! As gold is a current addiction, the layout included gold elements like the sequins, straws and ribbon. Here’s an idea on how to create ruffled ribbon: Organza ribbon is perfect for this technique - measure a piece of ribbon twice as long as required. Hand stitch down centre of ribbon with a large running stitch or gather using a sewing machine (remember to use longest gathering stitch). Gather the ribbon to create a ruffle. As you gather the ribbon, it twists creating a ruffled effect.

What a great tip!  Check out these other fun details on Glenda's stunning layout -

 This next project from Glenda features our Homespun collection -

My family and home is important to me. These photos captured how much my mom is loved by her grandchildren. The quote ‘LITLE moments BIG BIG memories’ reiterates the good times and memories captured while on vacation. The Fundamental Cardstock Stickers, Expressions Cardstock Stickers, Chipboard Stickers, Decorative Brads, Bits & Pieces Ephemera; SN@P Cuts, Insta-Squares worked so well documenting the memories. Adding trim and ribbon just added to the perfect Homespun collection items.

Here are just a couple of ideas and techniques used on the page.

Punch the top edge of a grid Card Foundation to resemble a notebook page -

The heart SN@P! Cuts can be used as a stencil. Place on background and ink with Antique Linen Distress Ink and ink blending tool. Use a Distress Marker Spritzer and Antique Linen Distress Marker to add detail.

Faux stitch around edge of scalloped Kraft DIY Card Foundation Journal Layer. Add ‘memories of you’ and banner Bits & Pieces, ‘GOOD TIMES’ and flower Cardstock Stickers. Add a bow and three Enamel Dots to flowers.

WOW!  Doesn't Glenda do beautiful work?!  So many great details, tips and techinques! 

Thanks so much Glenda Nicole for sharing your projects with us this month as our August Guest Designer!

Howdy, Layle here with you today!  YIPPEE!  My kids went back to school yesterday - finally!  Seems like the summer lasted forever this year - hee hee!

With school back in session, that leaves more crafty time for lots of us, and what better way to celebrate than with almost 100 new Simple Stories Silhouette designs?!  Even better, we've got you covered with the back to school essentials - many, many new cut files and print & cut school themed designs. 

Here are just a few of our new favorites -

School Bus

Keep Calm and Do Your Homework

Selfie Camera

Visit Simple Stories at the Silhouette Online Store here to see these designs and others in our design portfolio.  You can also search for 'Simple Stories' directly on their site.  Through the end of August, you can save 25% on all School and Education designs with Silhouette, so head on over!!

Have you created something with our Silhouette cut files?  If so, we'd love to see them!  Post on our Facebook page, tag us on Instagram with #simplestories or email an image of your project to layle@simplestories.com!

Hi everyone! Lisa here with you today to share two layouts I made with the fabulous new Cozy Christmas collection. I don't usually create holiday layouts in August when the sun is shining and the temps are soaring (I'm more of an "in season" scrapper), but this collection was a breeze to work with and these pages came together so easily (even without snow on the ground or holiday music playing in the background to get me in the spirit of things).

First up is a page about my daughter's cat. He likes to take up residence under our tree. When he was a kitten, he actually liked to climb the tree, nestle among the branches, and just hang out.

The base of this page uses the 2x12 Border & 4x12 Title Strip Elements 12x12 Paper. I love how it looks like a number of different papers have been pieced together but without all of the choosing and all of the work. After all, that's what Simple Stories is about, right? Making it easy to scrap our memories.

Let's take a closer look at this page...

I added a number of embellishments to the bottom strip of the paper, not only to extend the one element already printed there (the word "believe"), but to give the page added dimension. One way to do this is to layer the die cut Bits & Pieces with Expressions and Fundamental Cardstock Stickers. Enamel dots give the Bits & Pieces even more depth.

Embellishments are also a great way to fill an empty space on a photo, like I did here in the bottom left corner of my photo. Again, I used a mix of Bits & Pieces, along with a snowflake sticker (cut in half since I didn't need the whole thing).

Chipboard pieces can also add dimension and another element to your pages. I decorated the tree with enamel dots and a mix of stickers.

This last shot shows how I decorated one of the Sn@p Pockets. There are times when I use the pockets to house a journaling tag or card, but other times I like to decorate them and use them as another element on my pages.

Now let's take a look at a page about my daughter's love of all things crafty. I wonder where she got that from? :)

Once again, I used a number of Bits & Pieces. In this case I layered a snowflake die cut over the mug, using foam adhesive to give the snowflake dimension.

Here's a look at the top right corner of the page. Enamel dots added to the "ho ho ho" die cut give it a bit of whimsy. The candy cane die cut piece gets dressed up a bit with a ribbon bow.

This last image shows the adorable snowman die cut peeking out from behind the photo, almost as if he's waving hello. Layering this piece over a tag helps to ground the die cut.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the Cozy Christmas collection and the different ways you can use the papers and embellishments. I hope you have a fun and crafty day!

Howdy friends!  Layle here and I have a fun project to share with you today that I recently made using our red SN@P! Binder and new Say Cheese SN@P! Set -

We took our boys to Disneyland back in 2006 (oh my gosh, can't believe how little they are in these photos!!) and I've never really done anything with all of the photos from the trip.  As soon as we came out with the new Say Cheese SN@P! Set, I knew that was just what I needed to get motivated to get the trip scrapped!

This was seriously the fastest, easiest project to put together!  I used nothing but the SN@P! Binder and the 4 products in the Say Cheese SN@P! Set - the 3x4 cards, 4x6 cards, stickers, and Insta Squares and Pieces.  Once I had my photos printed out, I just added them to the pages and the Pocket Pages, inserted the cards, added a few stickers and die cut pieces and called it good.  It probably took me less than 3 hours, start to finish. 

This type of project is so well suited for our SN@P! Binders - a subject that has a beginning and end, such as a vacation.  I'm so glad to have this trip FINALLY off of my scrapbooking to-do list!  And I love that the Say Cheese SN@P! Set coordinates so well with our photos from Disney, while at the same time doesn't scream Disney :)