Simple Stories

Focus on Homespun and DIY Boutique

Hi everyone! Lisa here with you today to share some layouts I made with the new Homespun and DIY Boutique collections.

First up is a sweet page about my daughter and her fur baby. I worked in pieces from the [email protected] Cat collection since we all know cats think the world revolves around them. :) I used some of the decorative brads like flair (house, heart and flowers) by cutting the prongs off the back and adding dimensional foam to the back to make the pieces pop off the page.

 

Here's a detail shot of the layered embellishments to the right of the photo:  

Here's a closer look at the embellishments in the top left corner of the page:

This second page is based on a wonderful sketch by Becky Fleck. The Simple Stories team partnered with PageMaps this month. Be sure to pop over to the PageMaps web site to see all of the fabulous sketch-inspired projects.

Are any of you So You Think You Can Dance fans? My daughter is, so imagine her excitement when she had the chance to dance with tWitch at a recent dance convention. Every time I see this photo of the two of them together, it brings a smile to my face.

The fun and happy colors of the DIY Boutique collection totally captured my daughter's excitement and worked perfectly with the photo. I pretty much followed Becky's sketch, adding in my own touches and style, with a lot of layering and embellishments.

Here's a look at the sprinkling of embellishments on the right side of the page. It's a fun mix of chipboard pieces and word and icon stickers. I don't know about you, but I have a "thing" for ampersands right now and I used them quite a bit on the two pages I've shared today. :) 

This is a detail shot of the top right corner.

I hope you've enjoyed getting a look at Homespun and DIY Boutique in action and you're inspired to add these collections to your own stash. Have a great day!

Purrfection Supply List:

Homespun Collection:

Green Dots 12x12 Paper
Heart & Home from 6x6 Paper Pad 
Bits & Pieces
Expression Cardstock Stickers
Fundamental Cardstock Stickers
Chipboard Stickers
[email protected] Pockets
[email protected] Cuts
Decorative Brads

DIY Collection:

Photo Overlays
Icon Stickers
Stickers - Letters
Enamel Dots (Teal, Red, Yellow)
Enamel Dots (Pink, Green, Orange)

[email protected] Collection:

[email protected] Stickers - Letters
[email protected] Stickers - Cat
[email protected] Insta Squares & Pieces - Cat

24/7 Supply List:

DIY Boutique Collection:

No Worries 12x12 Paper
Who's to Say 12x12 Paper
Boutique Polka/Red 12x12 Paper
Boutique Chevron/Teal 12x12 Paper
Chipboard Stickers
Insta-Frames

DIY Collection:

Stickers - Icons
Stickers - Labels
Stickers - Words
Stickers - Letters
Clear Stickers - Messages
Enamel Dots - Pink, Green, Orange
Enamel Dots - Teal, Red, Yellow

Pick a Card, Any Card

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 [email protected]! 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 3x4 card is from our Daily Grind 3x4 Journaling Card Elements.  I love the versatility of this card; it can really be used for anything!  Between the kraft colored background, the light colored months and then the brightly colored months mixed in for random pops of color, it just makes me happy :)

Next up is Donna Jannuzzi with this 3x4 card from our new Travel [email protected]! Set (shipping in March!) -

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

"I love this card because I happen to be drawn to travel lines. I thought the combination of the map background with the pretty script font was interesting. Plus, this card could be used for a few different themes, not just travel, which makes it both cute and versatile"!

 Emily Lanham chose this 4x6 card from our A Charmed Life collection - 

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

"This is one of my favorite cards because the saying is SO true. I treasure all of my friends, though they have thinned out over the years, the ones that have stuck around through thick and thin are TRUE friends and I feel very lucky & blessed to have them in my life". 

Heather Leopard selected this 3x4 card, also from the A Charmed Life collection -

According to Heather -

"I love it because it's a new twist on making a list for your journaling.  Pie charts are still oh so trendy and I love that you can add elements of your day, your trip, or whatever moments or events you are documenting in or around each section of the pie chart and journal about that part of the moment in the color coordinated lines below.   How cool is that?!?!  I love it and am using it the next time I sit down at my craft table"!

Next up is Kim Kesti with this 3x4 card from our Baby Girl [email protected]! Set -

When I asked Kim why she selected this particular card, she said -

"As a cardmaker, anything that makes my life easier is a big plus.  I just love all the cards in the [email protected]! Baby Girl pack, but this "Love You to the Moon and Back" card is extra special.  It has a cute graphic design and a great sentiment all rolled into one.  I know that I can add a card stock mat, a few stickers and some ribbon and end up with a really special card in no time flat".

Last up this month is Kristine Davidson with this 3x4 card from our new Cat [email protected]! Set (also shipping in March!) -

Kristine loves this card because -

"As a cat lover I laughed when I saw this and remembered a trip my husband and I took last summer. This older gentleman was on a motorized bicycle and his cat was sitting on his lap. As he crossed the busy street he said " Hold On Mr. Whiskers" and of course hubby and I thought it was the cutest and funniest thing ever.  We could just imagine the chaos our cat Eddie would cause if we tried this with him!  This card makes me smile ;-) ".

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 Thursday, March 6th telling me which of our 6 cards is your favorite and why.  On Friday 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 all of these  fabulous Simple Stories cards that you see below, people!

 WOW!  That's a lot of card goodness if I do say so myself.  Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[email protected]! Baby Girl Cards

Kim here coming back at you with a few more cards. This time, I am working with the 4 X 6 [email protected]! Baby Cards. At the risk of sounding really cliche, using this amazing product makes card making a...snap! (Hee, hee, couldn't resist that one).

Here's my first one:

I literally used the entire [email protected]! Baby Girl Card for the body of my Love You a Ton Card. I added an additional sticker, one brad from the DIY Boutique Collection and a bit of pink twine. The rounded edges on the bottom of the card add some extra softness.

My Sweet Baby Love Card features a [email protected]! Card trimmed down about an inch. The hearts on the top edge are Side B of this card. Love that the "B" sides automatically coordinate with the front, it sure makes life easy. I also added a few stickers grounded with a label from the DIY Boutique Collection.

And, lastly (my favorite) the Oh Baby! Card. This card features a sweet little cluster of accents in the upper left corner that add just the right amount of polish to this already adorable [email protected]! Baby Card. I really enjoy adding bits and pieces to my cards, so it's pretty clear that the DIY Boutique Collection will be one of my favorites.

Thanks for taking a peek at my baby cards! Now that you see just how easy they are, why not create a few for your stash? 

Products Used:

[email protected]! Sets

4 X 6 [email protected]! Cards - Baby Girl
[email protected]! Stickers - Baby Boy

DIY Boutique 

Brads

 

Life Documented with Homespun

Hello, Simple Stories fans! Melissa here to share another week in my Life Documented album as I continue on with catching up some weeks from previous years that are still left to scrap. This week finds the Homespun collection being used to document some Independence Day fun!

Last time I hosted the blog, you may recall that I talked about using non-seasonal collections to scrap seasonal events, and I'm doing the same thing with this layout. Homespun isn't a 4th of July themed collection, but the family motifs and home-y accents definitely work for all of the bold colors in my photos of hanging out with my family and watching fireworks. I tweaked a few of the products here and there to make it all come together, and I'll share a few of those techniques with you below. 

 If you haven't tried the new DIY (Design It Yourself) collection yet, you really need to check these pieces out! I used a DIY speech bubble die-cut as a layer under a chipboard camera from Homespun, and there are lots of great neutral layers in DIY that will coordinate with any of Simple Stories' collections!

This red-bordered journaling card was actually pre-printed for Thursday, but since I needed a Tuesday card (and the Tuesday card in the collection didn't jive with my layout's color balance), I found a die-cut in the Bits & Pieces pack and layered it with a sticker to help the card fit my layout. 

 A pre-printed 4x6 card can help build the fastest embellishment cluster ever! The doilies and banners were already printed on this card, and I simply added a tiny chipboard heart and a word sticker to both help tie the photo to the design as well as create a dimensional cluser in no time flat.

 Simple Stories' Insta-Squares make fabulous embellishents on Life Documented pages, even if you don't use the square Pocket Pages. Here I tucked a 2x2 heart card from the Homespun Insta-squares behind a small photo and layered on a die cut from the Bits & Pieces pack to finish it off. Quick, easy, and cute!

As I close out my 2011 and 2013 Life Documented albums, I'm using the 12x12 faux leather [email protected] in teal to hold my layouts. These albums are simply gorgeous and have such a luxurious feel to them!

 

All of my weekly Life Documented pages for 2011, 2012, and 2013 use Design 3 Pocket Pages- I'm so used to using this design that I totally get into a zone when choosing photo sizes to print, and it goes super fast! Editing and printing photos is my biggest hangup when it comes to any variety of scrapbooking, so I'm all for anything that simplifies the process.

Homespun Products Used:

• 12x12 Collection Kit
• Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers
• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• 6x6 Paper Pad
• Bits & Pieces
• Chipboard
• Brads
• Insta-Squares
• [email protected] Cards

Introducing Simple Inspiration eBooks

Howdy!  Layle here with you again today with some fun news. 

We're super excited to introduce Simple Inspiration eBooks - free, downloadable idea books.  Beginning with our most recent releases, you can now look forward to an eBook with each of our new collections!   

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, [email protected]! Binders, pocket page spreads, home decor items and cards.

Today brings you the first of our new eBooks - the Homespun Simple Inspiration eBook - 16 pages of amazing inspiration; simply click on the link below to download & enjoy!

Homespun Simple Inspiration eBook Download

(note - if you were having trouble downloading the eBook earlier, the link has been fixed!)

We hope you enjoy it!

On Pinterest?  To view/pin some of the projects included in the Homespun eBook, as well as other inspirational Homespun projects, check out our Homespun Pinterest board -

 

New Simple Stories Silhouette Designs Available!

Howdy!  Layle here today to share some great news - we have 30 brand new cut file designs, now available for the Silhouette!

Here are just a few of our favorites -

Love Love Love

Check This Out

So Sweet Together

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. 

Design team member Kristine Davidson used our Capture This Moment cut file & our Love cut file on a layout along with products from our new A Charmed Life collection -

We have great designs currently available, with MANY more to come :)  You can find these and our other designs here at the Silhouette Online Store.

If you create anything with our Silhouette cut files, we'd love to see them!

 

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.  - See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/2014/01/new-simple-stories-silhouette-designs-available.html#sthash.t8d1EyPt.dpuf

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.  - See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/2014/01/new-simple-stories-silhouette-designs-available.html#sthash.t8d1EyPt.dpuf

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.  - See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/2014/01/new-simple-stories-silhouette-designs-available.html#sthash.t8d1EyPt.dpuf

Life Documented with [email protected]! Summer

Life Documented with [email protected]!

Hi everyone! Teri here today, and I'm here with another Life Documented project. I'm excited to share with you a few pages I made with the [email protected]! Summer set.

I went to California last month and extended my trip by a couple days so I could go to Disneyland. What can I say? I'm a big kid, and I love going to the park. Lucky for me that one of my friends extended her trip as well so we were able to enjoy a couple days at the amusement park together. 

Sure, the adventure was in January. But I thought the happy colors of the [email protected]! Summer set made it perfect for documenting the fun time we had. I mean, we are talking Disneyland! Hello, bright and happy colors!

One of my favorite things on the left page is "This is Awesome" cut-out. That's a cut file from Simple Stories that's available in the Silhouette Online Store. I simply cut it from cardstock and then adhered it to a 3x4 [email protected]! card. To give it some extra pop, I used my trusty sewing machine to stitch a line over the "awesome" word.

The card next to it had a summer saying on it. That wasn't going to work for my page so I covered it up with a kraft rectangle from Simple Stories' DIY collection and added a new title to it.

I really love that you can change up the [email protected]! cards and make them your own. I added a tape sticker (yep, from the [email protected]! Summer set) to the top of orange card at the bottom of the page.

I went to town with customizing the cards on the right page, too. I covered up some words on the bottom card with a strip of cardstock and added some stickers to it so it would say "the good times."

The polka dot [email protected]! card on this page was so fun to customize! I added the picture and then embellished it with a overlay, a couple stickers and another phrase cut with Simple Stories' Check This Out cut file, also available in the Silhouette Online Store.

I'm using a 12x12 [email protected]! faux leather album in red to document my activities in 2014. I love that the album's ring binding allows me to scrapbook out of order. Sometimes, I wait to record memories until months after they've happened. And sometimes I like to scrapbook them right away. I like the freedom it gives me as a memory keeper.

I used the [email protected]! 12x12 Pocket Pages Design 3 for these pages. I like that these pages have a little extra room so you can embellish the cards that go into the pockets. It's nice to be able to add lots of layers if you want to.

[email protected]! Summer Products Used:

• [email protected]! Stickers
• 4x6 [email protected]! Cards
• 3x4 [email protected]! Cards

Other Simple Stories Products Used:

• DIY Card Foundations - Kraft
• DIY Journaling Layers - Office
• DIY Journaling Layers - Kraft
• DIY Burlap Stickers - Banners
• [email protected]! Stamps - Snapshots

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back again soon!

I'll be using the 12x12 [email protected]! leather album in teal as the year goes on for many of my Life Documented projects! I love the color of the album, and that it has a ring binding system! Since I employ a free spirit philosophy when it comes to these pages, I dig that I can easily work on my pages for it out of order. - See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/2013/06/life-documented-with-snp.html#sthash.3QLkzgNj.dpuf

Fan Focus Friday

Hi there!  Layle here with you today :)

Today I'm back with another Fan Focus Friday! 

We have so many great Simple Stories fans out there that we thought it would be fun to showcase some of the work shared with us. 

So, here goes! Kayla MacAulay

This month, let me introduce you to Kayla MacAulay -

I am a twenty three year old new Mum from Tasmania, Australia. I began scrapbooking back in 2004 when I was just a teenager. I was never really a crafty person up until then but found love in the fact that I could tell a story through this craft. I dabbled in many mediums of scrapbooking over the years and was lucky enough to work on several design teams and up until most recently owned my own online scrapbooking kit club which I have since changed hands to focus on my new little family with the addition of our first child Elijah Mason who is just 2 weeks old. I love finding new products, techniques and ideas to focus on and this year I am excited to be combining my usual 12x12 style with some Pocket Page themed pages.

Kayla created this wonderful 6x8 Teal [email protected]! Binder album in the early stages of her pregnancy with her first child -

According to Kayla -

I was so excited and nervous about being a new Mum and the scrapbooker in me just knew that I had to document it. I loved that with the [email protected]! Binders you can set it up and work on little bits here and there.  Throughout the pregnancy I just completed cards as I thought of them and slipped them in the pockets.

I used the chipboard dividers that came with the album to section off the binder into three parts, one for each of the trimesters of pregnancy.

I used some of the 6x8 inserts to document some of the bigger things and placed some of the ultrasound photos on these.

I loved that Simple Stories [email protected]! Binders have such a large variety of different sized inserts to accommodate different sizes.

I used a mixture of 3x4, 4x6 and 4x4 sized pockets. It’s great for keeping things interesting throughout the album as not every layout is the same!

I have shared pictures here of the first two sections of my album as the third section I was waiting on baby photos from the much awaited arrival of our son who is just two weeks old now. I can’t wait to share the completed album on my blog very soon! 

Isn't that an amazing keepsake Kayla created documenting her pregnancy?!  I'm sure her son Elijah will treasure this album in the years to come.

Congratulations Kayla on the birth of your son and thank you so much for sharing your amazing project with us this month!

 

 

 

Die Cutting with 3x4 [email protected]! Sets

Hello! Nichol here today with some tips and tricks on utilizing 3x4 (or 4x6) [email protected]! Sets cards for die cutting.

Whether you use a digital die cutting machine like the Silhouette Cameo or a manual die cutting machine, I've got some ideas on making the most of your [email protected]! products in non-traditional ways!

Digital die cutting completely changed the way I scrapbook and I can't imagine being without my Silhouette Cameo! And the icing on the cake? Why, the fact that Simple Stories now offers cut files in the Silhouette Store, of course!

I used the following cut files for my first project share today, a layout utilizing eight different designs!

I used some of the cut files "as is" and some files I altered to fit my layout needs. I'll show you how in the accompanying video.

 

Video How To:

I used the polaroid die cuts to "frame up" my page, with a title and journaling in the center of my layout. By layering the die cut polaroids with [email protected]! 3x4 Cards, I was able to create a cohesive page with simple layers and lots of color. 

Once the base of the layout is together, layering on stickers, additional die cuts and dimensional embellishments make the page pop!

The polaroid frames were cut using a variety of 3x4 [email protected]! cards. Most of the cards are from the awesome Office Card Foundations. I implemented many of the Wedding [email protected]! Squares and Pieces, Love [email protected]! 3x4 Cards and Homespun Squares & Pieces into the frames. Don't be afraid to mix and match your Simple Stories Collections!

For my card, I used a metal balloon die in a manual die cutting machine (the Sizzix Big Shot) to die cut balloon shapes from the Birthday 3x4 [email protected]! cards. I also trimmed the greeting from one of the Birthday 3x4 [email protected]! cards.

Adding detail to the die cuts with Glossy Accents, a glitter marker and string make these die cuts a cut above the rest! ;)

 

The balloons didn't take much paper from the Birthday 3x4 [email protected]! cards so I filed the scraps away to use on more die cutting projects!

Simple Stories Products Used for the layout:

• DIY Boutique Outside the Box 12x12 Paper
• DIY Boutique 6x6 Paper Pad
• Love 3x4 [email protected]! Cards
• Wedding 3x4 [email protected]! Cards
• DIY Card Foundations Office
• Wedding [email protected]! Squares & Pieces
• Homespun Insta-squares
• Love [email protected]! Stickers
• Everyday [email protected]! Stickers
• DIY Stickers Typeset
• DIY Stickers Labels
• DIY Stickers Icons
• DIY Stickers Boutique
• DIY Words Stickers
• DIY Boutique Stickers Boutique
• [email protected]! Stickers Icons
• DIY Burlap Stickers Arrows
• DIY Teal, Red & Yellow Enamel Dots
• DIY Pink, Green & Orange Enamel Dots
• Simple Stories So Sweet Together Banner
• Simple Stories You & Me Heart
• Simple Stories Newsflash Polaroids
• Simple Stories Month Polaroids Jan-April
• Simple Stories Fabulous Polaroids
• Simple Stories Hello, Heart This, Smile & Today Polaroids
• Simple Stories [email protected]! Plane, Star, Heart

Simple Stories Products Used for the birthday card:

• Birthday [email protected]! Squares & Pieces
• Birthday 3x4 [email protected]! Cards
• DIY Boutique 6x6 Paper Pad

I hope that these ideas have inspired you to try using your 3x4 [email protected]! Cards in your die cutting machine(s)d. Thanks for hanging out with me today!

 

Life Documented with Homespun

Hi everyone, Marie here today to share a Life Documented project using the Homespun line!

I love using scrapbooking products in new and versatile ways.  When I first saw the Homespun collection I naturally thought of all things home such as cooking, sewing and gardening.  But after looking through the papers, they also reminded me of a trip we took to a bavarian village in the mountains.

Something about the potted flowers, weathered wood, and lace accents gave everything an old world feel which went perfectly with our travel destination.

I used one of the typewriter charms on my journaling card, and a chipboard bicycle on another.

An alpine layout wouldn't be complete without a man playing an Alphorn, right?

I hope this helps to inspire you to look at your scrapbooking supplies in a new way.   I had a lot of fun taking a collection made for "home" and using it on travel pages instead.

I am using the 12x12 Faux Leather Album in teal for all of my Life Documented projects.

On this spread I used these Pocket Pages:

I also used the following products from the Homespun collection:

• Fundamental Cardstock Stickers | #3802
• Expression Cardstock Stickers | #3803
• Bits and Pieces | #3829
• Chipboard | #3828
• Brads | #3827
• 4x6 Horizontal Journaling Cards Elements | #3811
• Grey Wood | #3816
• [email protected]! Cards | #3823

 Thanks for stopping by today!