Simple Stories

Simple Pleasures...Outdoor Fun & Hot Cocoa

Saturday greetings, friends!  Shellye here with you on this first day of September...I'm excited that Fall will be upon us soon.  We've had a milder-than-usual Summer in North Texas and yesterday I noticed just a slight change in some of the leaves already...yes!  Mums have filled the shelves at the local greenhouse and pumpkins will soon follow.  I'm ready for my favorite time-of-the-year...can't you tell? :)

I snapped several photos of the family having fun out-of-doors last November.  The {Take A Hike} Collection not only brings out the colors in the photo perfectly, but captures the warm and rustic feel that nature evokes.

For the 'mat' I used a sheet from the 6x6 paper pad, along with several basic patterns. 

Part of my love for Simple Stories is the plethora of cardstock stickers that are offered with each collection.  I paired up the two different sticker letters to create the title for my page.  I did add a thin foam dot to the backs of the square letters.

In keeping with the outdoor theme, I added embellishments of rusty metal stars, wooden buttons and jute twine.  I picked up the stars from the Christmas aisle at Hobby Lobby!

{Take A Hike} Product Used:

• Bingo Cards/Chevron Simple Basics 12X12 Take A Hike Paper |#2521
• Brown Wood/Map Simple Basics 12X12 Take A Hike Paper |#2516
• Take A Hike 6X12 Page Elements 12X12 Take A Hike Paper |#2515
• Take A Hike 12X12 Expressions Cardstock Stickers |#2503
• Take A Hike 6X6 Paper Pad |#2501
• Take A Hike 12X12 Fundamental Cardstock Sticker |#2502
• Yellow Chevron/Grid Simple Basics 12X12 Take A Hike Paper |#2519

We shop a lot at a wholesale food club.  Whether it's my mom who goes or myself, we tend to split up our goods between the two households.  During a particular trip my mom just couldn't pass up an extra big box of colorfully packaged cocoa mixes :)  I like to sit mine out on the counter when the cooler months arrive, so I derived this helpful cocoa bin from an empty Keuring coffee box and the {Handmade Holiday} assortment!

Two sheets of 12x12 paper cover the larger-sized box perfectly.  I simply used the contur of the box as the template, trimmed the excess and then glued into place. 

In wanting to hide the opening of the box and its rather tattered edges, I glued on a bit of pretty trim.  And of course I just had to top it off with a gingham bow!

I had the most fun creating the inviting little embellishment for the front of the bin.  I love layering  journal cards with various cardstock stickers, buttons and other textured accents.

 

And here's a peek at how the sides of the box look.  For the top, I just creased the paper neatly before gluing down...much like wrapping a present!  This would make such a sweet little gift for anyone on your list this Christmas Season :)

{Handmade Holiday} Product Used:

• Handmade Holiday 12X12 Fundamental Cardstock Sticker |#2702
• Handmade Holiday Flashcards 12X12 Handmade Holiday Paper |#2709
• Holiday Cheer 12X12 Handmade Holiday Paper |#2705
• December 25 12X12 Handmade Holiday Paper |#2706

 Although I've shared this card on the Simple Stories Facebook page already, I wanted to share it here as well!  I love the feeling of cozy Autumn memories that it brings to mind.

And cozy wouldn't be cozy without a bit of blanket stitching, hand-sewn buttons & burlap :)

I created this card with this intention in mind:  On the journaling card that I have tucked down in the pocket, I will have each member of my family write down something that they're thankful for.  What a wonderful keepsake this will be and hopefully a new tradition will be started!

{Harvest Lane} Products Used:

• Fundamentals 12x12 Cardstock Stickers |#2602
• Harvest Lane 6x6 Paper Pad |#2601
• 4x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements |#2612
• Harvest Lane SN@P! Pockets |#2623

Glad that you've stopped by today!  If you have any questions about the project(s) shown, just leave a comment and I'll respond just as quickly as I can :)

Thank you!

Live {Simple}, Play Outside

I'm totally in love with the Take a Hike collection.  In Colorado we play outside a lot and this collection really speaks to me.  The colors are perfect for Fall in Colorado when the Aspen leaves change colors.

The deep grain wood patterned paper is one of my very favorite in this collection and of course the retro color scheme is such a great palette to work with and makes this picture of my son really stand out.

I added some bright orange floss stitched across the top of the footprint paper.  I also love how you can easily mix the Expressions Cardstock stickers between collections.  This alphabet is actually from the Summer Fresh collection.

I also mixed some of the stickers from the Year.O.Graphy collection to add more layers to the page, pop dots are a great way to make them stand out.

 

Love how these small printer's trays make a quick project.  This one was was easy to put together with just pattered paper and cardstock stickers and some twine and jewel stickers for good measure. 

It's great fun to take the Expressions sentiments and make them into little flags.  I really love to use the flat sandwich picks rather than small toothpicks (makes it a lot easier to stick to...).

It's also fun to use the 4 x 6 Journal Elements to make a little mini album.   This one was very easy to put together.  I just punched holes in the top left corner, added a binder ring and some ribbon and twine.  Voila, instant album ready to add pictures to and because the journal elements are already "decorated," this project only requires minimal embellishment.

This was such a great 4 x 6 journal element, because I was able to use the cardstock sticker sentiments and tiny type to fill in the blanks for the message.  This is my son and I enjoying the apsen grove we stopped at for lunch.

Please come see my blog My Little Sketch Blook for the rest of the details on this mini album.

 

Take a Hike Products:

12 x 12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers #2502

12 x 12 Expressions Cardstock Stickers #2503

Back to Nature #2505

Brown Wood/Map #2516

Green Dot/Prints #2518

4 x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements #2511 & 2512

 

Fun and Fall

Greetings, Simple Stories lovers!  Shellye here with a layout using Take a Hike and an altered wood frame featuring Harvest Lane.  I love the warm and rich hues of both collections...creating with them has made me even more ready for Fall to arrive :)

I adore this picture of my middle son.  I've had it in my stack of photos marked: I-really-want-to-scrap-this for quite some time now.  After seeing Take a Hike, I knew it would be the perfect palette for this beloved photo

 

I cut three 1.5" wide strips from Brown Wood/Map #2516 and framed it around the photo.  In keeping with the 'wood' motif, I added a few brads to resemble nailheads.  The bottom was decorated with a 2x12 Border Strip #2514, various stickers from the Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers #2502 and punched leaves. 

Here I added just a couple of clouds from the Fundamentals Stickers.  When adding dimension, think about using different thicknesses such as thin and thick foam dots...just right when you're layering two dimensional pieces side-by-side.

I cut the F-U-N pennants from one of the Take A Hike Flashcards #2509 and strung up a banner using baker's twine and a few punched circles (folded in half) that I punched from the back of the Flashcards paper.  By applying foam dots to the backs of each piece, I was able to easily position the banner across my layout.

TAKE A HIKE SUPPLIES:

-Yellow Chevron/Grid Simple Basics Patterned Paper #2519

-Brown Wood/Map Patterned Paper #2516

-2x12 Border Strip #2514

-Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers #2502

It's a thrill for me to rummage through any dollar bin.  Any dollar bin!  If I didn't love it, I would not have  found this really cute wooden scalloped frame.  This was just your standard, craft store-style wood item:  plain blond wood with a few rough edges.  After sanding, I took a pad of Tim Holtz "Walnut Stain" Distress Ink, a cosmetic sponge and applied the ink to the frame.  Of course, you may use any acrylic paint or actual wood stain, but this worked out just fine for this project.

For the inset of the frame, I cut various sizes of paper from the Harvest Lane Collection, layered and then machine stitched them together.  To create the pumpkin, I used the 2.5" and 2" lace nesting dies from Lifestyle Crafts. Foam dots were added between the two layers.  After embellishing with a "Give Thanks" banner and leaves stickers, I attached it to the center of the piecing.  A hand-sewn button was added, as well as a stick (for the stem) from my yard :)

In keeping with the homespun feel of Harvest Lane, I outlined the frame in jute twine and a chenille ric-rac for the inset. 

You could make up several of these little pumpkins and use them as place setting markers (just attach to napkin-covered silverware), tie them to goodie bags or hang from a harvest tree!

HARVEST LANE SUPPLIES:

-Expression Cardstock Stickers #2603

-Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers #2602

-Harvest Blessing Patterned Paper #2605

-Homemade Happies Patterned Paper #2607

-Made With Love Patterned Paper #2608

-Green Stitched/Grid Simple Basics Patterned Paper #2620

I hope that you've enjoyed today's projects...I've really enjoyed sharing them with you all!

Fall & Winter...In Summer

Happy CHA Week!  Shellye here to share a few projects that I created to grace the Simple Stories booth at CHA.  With understanding, I know how much everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of these new releases on store shelves. You will love them even more in person!

First, let's start with a couple of things that I made using the HARVEST LANE Collection.  I purchased this vintagey-mod framed cork-board at Kirkland's Home Store.  I love the bright turquoise and it matches perfectly with the blue hue in HARVEST LANE.

 

As you can see, I chose papers that could be used throughout the year.  I simply tacked on photos of my kids, which can be changed out as desired.  I used various heart-shaped stickers from the Fundamental Cardstock Sticker sheet, sanded around the edges and then attached them to the tops of flat tacks.

 

To create the banner at the top, I used a 2" scalloped circle that I folded in half and over a strand of baker's twine.  I tied on a few wooden buttons and generous gingham bows at the ends.  A few flowers from the Fundamental Cardstock Stickers were placed here and there.

Supplies:

#2602 Harvest Lane Fundamental Cardstock Stickers

#2610 Harvest Lane 4x6 Journaling Card Elements

#2613 Harvest Lane 4x4 Quote Elements/ 6x8 Photo Mats

#2616 Harvest Lane Wood Simple Basics Designer Cardstock

#2618 Harvest Lane Red Floral Simple Basics Designer Cardstock

#2619 Harvest Lane Yellow Quilt Simple Basics Designer Cardstock

#2620 Harvest Lane Green Stitch Simple Basics Designer Cardstock

 

Here are a couple of quick and easy cards that I made with HARVEST LANE.  The beauty of Simple Stories' designs is that you don't have to add much fruh-fruh to achieve beautiful results!

 Supplies (both cards):
#2608  Harvest Lane Made With Love Cardstock

#2619 Harvest Lane Yellow Quilt Simple Basics Cardstock

#2611 Harvest Lane 4x6 Journaling Card Elements

#2609 Harvest Lane Flash Cards

#2602 Harvest Lane Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers

Now for some HANDMADE HOLIDAY...what a treat this collection is.  If you love homespun, country-inspired Christmases, then you will adore Handmade Holiday.  When I laid my eyes on the Countdown Cardstock Stickers, I knew immediately that I wanted to do an Advent Calendar!

To make this extra-sturdy, I sandwiched a sheet of chipboard between the two cardstock papers and machine stitched around the perimeter.  I used a couple of fun svg files to create the holly leaves and title. The berries were made by using a 1/2" round punch. I had fun embellishing the calendar with the sweet stickers from HANDMADE HOLIDAY, as well as felt snowflakes, buttons and a bit of pretty lace trim from my stash :) 

Be sure to brush on a bit of baby powder to the backs of your Countdown Cardstock Stickers before attaching them to the calendar with a brad.  At the end of each day, the dates can be gently pulled from the calendar.

 Supplies:

 #2702 Handmade Holiday Fundamental Cardstock Stickers

#2703 Handmade Holiday Expressions Cardstock Stickers

#2725 Handmade Holiday Countdown Cardstock Stickers

#2724 Handmade Holiday Winter Wonderland Designer Cardstock

#2716 Handmade Holiday Calendar Simple Basics Cardstock

#2718 Handmade Holiday Green Holly Simple Basics Cardstock

Lastly, I had the assistance of my daughter who helped to pick out the buttons that I hand-stitched to the front of this fun and whimsical card

Supplies:

#2707  Handmade Holiday Handcrafted Designer Cardstock

#2712 Handmade Holiday 4x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements

#2702 Handmade Holiday Fundamental Cardstock Stickers

#2703 Handmade Holiday Expression Cardstock Stickers

 I hope that you enjoy this fun-filled week of new Simple Stories goodness...lots more to come!

Thanks for visiting us today

 

Simply Creative - Summertime Routine!

It's that time of the year when we still need to have some kind of routine otherwise we all would go crazy in this household.

Now I must be honest, my intentions for this project and outcome are high and probably won't be met often but it does give me and my children a bit of 'routine' during the summer months.  And even though school is out we still need routine!

So decided to create this Summer Schedule for my kiddos.

I used Summer Fresh collection as it was just PERFECT for this project. The 6x12 Page Elements were a perfect size for the frame that I wanted to use. So I chose #2415 and cut a strip from 2x12 Border & 4x12 Title Strip Elements.

I adhered the 2x12 strip along the top edge of th e6x12 piece using the zigzag patchwork long sticker (from the 12x12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers). 

I then added my title using a collection of stickers from the same 12x12 sticker sheet. listed above. I adhered the sun & ribbon stickers with a thin foam square to give just a little bit of dimension and they worked well in between the layers of glass (as they weren't too thick).

I then cut apart the long sticker of 'tickets' and used these for my 'time slots' on my schedule. (i did have to play with the times because I only had 6 stickers but it worked out ok). I then hand wrote out schedule for the day.

To add some visual interest to the front of the frame I also added another 2x12 Border strip to the top & bottom edges of the frame and tied some twine around the border strip.

On the backside of the frame I created a pocket with little inserts or cards.  The pocket is from the Summer Fresh Memorabilia Pockets. 

There are 4 different cards inside the pocket that were created using some patterned paper and the Summer Fresh Flash Cards.  Each card has a special activity on that we will do every once in a while.  Those special days when the weather may be gorgeous my just end up being a 'beach day' as one of the cards suggests.

So, here's hoping our summer will go as planned and we won't drive each other bonkers too much!!!

Supplies used:

Summer Fresh 12x12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers #2402

Summer Fresh 12x12 Expression Cardstock Stickers #2403

Summer Fresh Flash Cards #2409

2x12 Border & 4x12 Title Strip Elements #2414

6x12 Page Elements #2415

Easy Breezy #2408

 

Have a great summer!!

{Simply} Summerific

Good Monday morning all!  Guiseppa here and I am so excited to share with you today...an altered project!  Yep...I know I said I am pretty much a layout and card girl, but this Summer Fresh Collection has me wanting to create some fun summery projects.

So, I had this watering can in my closet...collecting dust.  I kept because I knew I would want to use it for something...someday.  Well, that someday has arrived and finally I am going to put it to good use!

I made this fun pinwheels and glued a kabob stick to the back of them.  The water can has foam in the bottom of it, so it was so easy to stick the pinwheels right in.  

I also made this little penndant banner and attached it using baker's twine, to all the pinwheels just for an added touch.  Finally, I added some sun flowers, greenery  and white paper filler to fill the watering can. 

I love how this project just rings SUMMER!  I can use this as a center piece for a BBQ, picnic or just as home decor.  Have you tried making a fun summer project with Summer Fresh...if you haven't, it is the perfect colletion just for that!  Thanks for stopping by an have Summerific Summer!

Simple Stories Supplies Used:

Summer Fresh Easy Breezy #2408

Summer Fresh County Garden #2405

Summer Fresh Sunshine and Happieness #2406

Summer Fresh 6x6 Paper Pad #2401

Uncle Sam Gets Summer Fresh!

Happy Monday, Simple Stories fans!  Shellye here today with two projects that I had such a fun time making with {Summer Fresh}. 

First up is Uncle-Sam-Gets-A-Summer-Makeover! I love decorating my home in an Americana theme during the Summer...yep, it's all decked out in red,white and blue...from the front door to the back door and several spots in between.  I wanted something  patriotic to grace the end table in our living room; this decoration is perfect!

I found this adorable SVG file for Uncle Sam's hat at www.svgcuts.com.  When I spotted it, I knew that {Summer Fresh} would look so good on it!  It may look complicated, but it was actually very simple to put together.

I wanted to include a nice vertical element, so I added the three scalloped circles embellished with {Summer Fresh} patterned papers, cardstock stickers and adhesive pearls from my stash.  I used bamboo skewers and attached them to the back of the hat with a quick dry glue (or a glue gun would work nicely).

Supplies:

{Summer Fresh}

#2402 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers

#2403 Expression Cardstock Stickers

#2408 Easy Breezy Patterned Paper

#2416 Denim/Grid Basics Paper

#2417 Red Flower/Honeycomb Ledger Basics Paper

My daughter is having a Swimming Party this month and of course when you're a papercrafter, people expect a handmade invitation... {Summer Fresh} was ideal for this!

I've used one of the medium-sized Memorabilia Pockets for this sample, but having all of the invitations look different in size and design would be a nice change-up.  A bubble mailer comes in very handy when you get ready to mail these too!

I cut a sheet of {Summer Fresh} patterned paper just a little bit larger than the pocket.  On the front, I embellished the wagon with Prima flowers and adhesive pearls. 

 Supplies:

{Summer Fresh}

#2402 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers

#2403 Expression Cardstock Stickers

#2016 Memorabilia Pockets

#2405 Country Garden Patterned Paper

#2408 Easy Breezy Patterned Paper

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Glad you've stopped by to visit Simple Stories today!

See y'all soon

{Simply Creative}

    Happy Monday everyone!  It's Kellie here with another altered project.  For my project today I decided to alter some plates.  I will be giving these to my mom and dad for their wedding anniversary coming up in June.

 

     I absolutely love the look of  Simple Stories Documented.  And it was perfect for this project.   All you will need is:  three plates (one large plate and two smaller ones), Simple Stories Documented , Mod podge, and some embellishments.  For my project the papers I choose to use were... " Just the Details", "Ever After", "Words to Live by" and "Damask Flourish".  I really had a hard time choosing, because they all went so well together, I loved them all.   Start by tracing the plate onto your  paper.  Luckily I had a circle cutter that made this part easy for me.   Also make the smaller circles for the recessed part of the plates.  Mod podge  the paper to the plates, I like to start with the recessed part first then Mod podge the outer ring.  Make sure you  put a good healthy coat on, and  let it dry over night. 

 

      Next is the fun part... decorating.  For my project I just wanted the larger plate decorated.  One of the new products Simple Stories has is the Memorabilia pockets.  And I truly love them, they are so well made and you can use them for so many things.   I adhered a 4x6  memorabilia pocket to the plate, and then I attached a transparency on top of the pocket.   You can also find these in the Documented collection.

     I made a tag out of one of the 4x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements, and placed a transparency over the tag and sewed around it to make a pocket for the photo.  I finished off the tag with a Year.o.graphy Expression Cardstock sticker and on the top of the tag I added a ribbon to make it easier to pull the tag out. 

 

    I cut the cute little banner out of the "Just the Details" paper and added the date my parents were married.  I had some flowers that I added to the plate also.  

  

 

    I hope you enjoyed my post for today, I had a lot of fun making it.  Have a wonderful Monday and I am looking forward to my next post!

Products used:

Documented 4x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements #2312

Just the Details #2304

Ever After #2305

Words to Live by #2308

Damask Flourish #2317

Documented Transparencies

4x6 Memorabilia Pockets #2008

Year.o.graphy Expression Cardstock Stickers #1903 

Spring Organization

Hi everyone! Ashley here with my first Simple Stories blog post and today I'm talking about organization. It's springtime, so for a lot of us, that means cleaning and organizing- whether it be our closets, our finances, or the garage! But, what about the kids? They come home from school daily with piles and piles of paperwork- art, permission slips, homework logs, etc. so what in the world do we do with it all?

These Odds & Ends 12x12 Memorabilia Pockets are perfect to help tidy up all that paperwork! I lightly embellished two of the pockets with the Awesome line and then attached them together using jute. I labeled one for incomming papers and one for outgoing paperwork.

This will hang next to my son's door and will definitely help us keep the loose papers together and organized!

This would be great for anything really- it could work in your home office, at work, in the kitchen, etc. and you can change up the theme using any of the Simple Stories lines.

Don't forget to leave a comment on our Facebook page by Monday, April 23rd for your chance to win a Summer Fresh collection kit!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Products Used:
Awesome 12x12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers #2202
Awesome 12x12 Expression Cardstock Stickers #2203
Awesome Flash Cards #2209
Awesome 2x12 and 4x12 Title Strip Elements #2214
Awesome Basics Blue Mini Dot/Ledger #2217
Aweomse Basics Orange Star/Map #2218
Awesome Basics Green Stripe/Tickets #2219
Awesome Basics Bingo Cards/Chevron #2221
Odds & Ends Memorabilia Pockets 12x12 #2010

Counting Down to 2012 with Year-O-Graphy and Maya Road

Whew! Are you feeling winded yet Simple Stories' fans? Happy Day After Christmas to you! We hope you've enjoyed the design team's December Daily albums as we headed into the Christmas holiday. But perhaps you're like me in that you haven't really jumped on the December Daily idea. Maybe you don't celebrate the holiday, maybe you are too busy, or maybe committing to a whole album for the month just seems like too much. Although I may not do an album, I do like taking time to reflect on the year just past... favorite photos, favorite events, most memorable moments. So, I decided to share my Best of 2011 project I made using the Simple Stories Year-O-Graphy line and some great Maya Road products, starting with the ATC Shadow Box. 

First, some close ups. I basically created this using the sheet of flash cards. Love how they almost just fit the little ATC chipboard pieces that then fit into the frame. 

I also love how the Year-O-Graphy stickers are mini-sized. So many little bits and pieces, just perfect for that final touch.

A little distress ink to the frame, put the ATC pieces inside, and the whole project couldn't have taken more than an hour to complete. 

 

So, if you want a quick little end of year project, why not pull out some Year-O-Graphy and go to town?