Simple Stories

Hello Summer

Hi Everyone,

Angella here today with a spash of Colour using the new Summer Paradise simple set   for  a SUMMER mini album  ! for some of you out there, i promise the hot weather is coming.

 

I loved Summer paradise as soon as i saw it ! The Colours are great for those summer projects and best of all it is a FUN collection!

I have created a mini album using a chipboard beach pail album, and the summer paradise 12x12 simple set. the summer paradise collection comes complete to create great projects.

1. cover your chipboard pages with pattern paper

2. Choose one of the pages for your front cover and decorate with the fundamental cardstock stickers

3 . to create the funky classes as i have, the classes are cut from the Elements 1 1#6034 page, then i just dressed them!

4. 3d foam the front cover and another page together,  this is so you can add elements to your bucket - example straws, cardstock stickers.

5. Now you can dress up your remaining pages with your favorite summer pictures and embellish with the fundamental and expressions cardstock stickers

I have also used the DIY Enamel dots and Burlap stickers - arrows  for that added extra Zing !

Have a great day all !

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 -

 

A Charmed Life Home Decor

Hey, y'all!  Shellye here to share with you today :)  I had so much fun crafting these projects...and believe it or not, they were really quick and easy to put together.

First up I have just the sweetest little hanger using "A Charmed Life" and a few goods from my stash:

I started with a heavyweight chipboard semi circle that I covered with Happy Times Paper.  Next, I matted the cute Insta Square with a swatch of the Happy Times (Side B) Paper and then attached it to the center of the semi-circle with foam adhesive.  I embellished the top of the Insta Square with one of the small chipboard flowers and a yellow brad for the center.

To the bottom, I added some felt flowers from my stash and die-cut a few leaves from the Happy.Go.Lucky Paper.  Using some fabric glue, I inserted the two navy brads into the middle of the yellow felt flowers.  A couple of punched holes were made and some pretty turquoise ribbon strung through for hanging.

A Charmed Life Products:

-Chipboard #3728
-Brads #3727
-Happy.Go.Lucky Paper #3707
-Happy Times Paper #3709
-Insta-Squares #3730

 Next is an easy, easy, EASY card :)

I think we could classify this as a "5-minute-or less" card!  I cut the base paper 1/2" smaller than the card, which gives a nice border of the card peeking through.  The heart-motif Insta Square was added with foam adhesive and then embellished with one of the Bits & Pieces' tags and a brad.

A Charmed Life Products:

-Happy.Go.Lucky Paper #3707
-Insta Squares #3730
-Bits & Pieces #3729
-Expression Cardstock Stickers #3703

 And lastly, a cool frame that I collaged into a fun piece of home decor! 

I started by removing the glass from the frame and reserving just the back piece.  To it, I adhere a thin sheet of corkboard (you can find sheets or rolls at your local craft store). 

I took a couple of the [email protected]! cards and trimmed them down so that they would create an even grid of four.  For extra interest, I machine stitched around the edge of each card before attaching to the corkboard. 

Each rectangle was adorned with different pieces from all around the "A Charmed Life" Collection!  Bits & Pieces, Chipboard shapes, brads and stickers were added.

In finishing, I glued on a whimsical bow from some May Arts ribbon.  If you're interested in creating a perpetual collage, use push pins or removable adhesive so that the cards can be changed out with each season!

A Charmed Life Products:

>[email protected]! Cards #3723
-Bits & Pieces #3729
-Brads #3727
-Chipboard #3728
-Fundamentals Cardstock Sticker #3702

I appreciate you joining us today at Simple Stories!

Homespun Fun

Hello, Simple Stories friends!  You have Shellye here with you today with two projects from the Homespun Collection; one of my very favorites of the new releases! It reminds me so much of the handmade quilts and dolls that my grandmother used to make using calico prints, ginghams and plaids.  And the colors are so vibrant and cheerful...it's hard not to smile as you thumb through the papers and sweet embellishments!

First up is a mason jar mini album that I put together.  You can find the steel rule die on-line OR you can order the chipboard pre-cut, along with a template for tracing onto your patterned paper. 

The new embellishment packs called Bits & Pieces come in handy for projects such as this.  I like to add a square of foam adhesive to the back and then pop into a corner of a photo mat...that's all you need!

I either cut out  a 3X4 swatch from one of the 12X12 papers or used one of the [email protected] Cards as the mat or journaling area for each page.  In keeping with the homespun feel, I machine-stitched a zig-zag pattern around the edge.

Brads and buttons give that extra dimension and provide stability to the edges of stickers that may pop up after years of wear.  Because of this, I do like to hand-stitch my buttons on before attaching the finished page to the chipboard page.

The above pages are two examples of how I let the adorable artwork do the designing for me!  Just fluff them up with a ribbon bow or other fun embellies.

Here are two pages featuring the doily motifs found in Homespun.  Accesorize with doily-shaped die-cuts or premade doilies.  After going back and looking at the completed album, I also had a thought that some cross-stitching would look so cute as an accent with this collection!

Simple Stories Products:

Homespun Collection- Grateful Paper; Stitched Together Paper; Happy Family Paper; Beautiful Life Paper; Heart & Home Paper; Chipboard; Bits & Pieces; 4X6 Horizontal Journaling Card Elements; Insta-Squares and [email protected] Cards

When I spotted the cute apron motif, I knew that I had to pair it with the apron card die that I have on hand, which is perfect for invitations, money or recipe holders.  If you don't have access to a die such as this, you can find a template for the shape on-line (just search 'apron card' template).

After die-cutting the teal dot paper into the apron card shape, I topped it with the apron card found on the 3X4 Journaling Card Elements.  I cut the journal card down to size and then corner-rounded the top edges before applying pom pom trim to the back edge. 

Inside the pocket, I tucked in a cookie recipe and then attached it to the front of a mason jar filled with cookie mix.  I also think it would make a wonderful embellishment for the front of a recipe book!

Simple Stories Products:

Homespun Collection- Teal Dot Paper; 3X4 Journal Card Elements; Decorative Brads; Chipboard.

That puts a Homespun wrap on my blog post for today!  I know you will enjoy all of the ideas yet to come featuring  the latest and greatest from Simple Stories :)
Thanks for visiting

Getting things in order with The Daily Grind

Hi there everyone!

I'm thrilled to be here with you today and share this fun little project.  

It seems that after the holidays have passed I'm always in a purging & organizing state of mind. I love it when things are cleaned up and everything is is in its' place.  So to help me with that process my kids have a new system as well.  

I must admit that they've been pretty good at helping out around here but we all slack off a bit sometimes so I thought that I would make it somewhat fun for them once they've completed a task.

I found this magnetic board from an old frame that I've had for years (which I'm still planning to alter ... it's painted brown with christmas parafanelia on it and I plan to paint it white to brighten things up) . Anyways, I took out the stainless steel part to use for my chore chart background.

 

For this project I used the Daily Grind collection.

 

 This is such an awesome collection full of super cool designs, color combos and sayings. I love it! Plus, the days of the week designs made this such a breeze to create as well!

I cut off the strip (days of the week) from the 4x12 Border Strips and used that at the top of my board.

I then cut off the strip with the colorful chevron design from the same 2x12 (4x12) sheet and placed that below the 'week' paper.

I cut out a 4x6 piece (on left side) from the 4x6 Journal Cards and printed out a list of chores on it.  

I used the 12x12 Expression cardstock to add letters for the title and the tags.

I then cut 3 pieces of paper (Bingo Cards/Months) approx. 2.5 x 6 and placed them besides the list of chores.  Each section has a name for my children. Each piece of papers is adhered to the board using the left over pieces of magnet strips.  That way I can re-use the board again sometime or just change things up for the chore chart.

I printed out the numbers 1-15 on some 6x6 sheets of paper (from the 6x6 paper pad) and then punched them out with a circle punch.  I adhered some foam tape behind each circle and then adhered a die cut circle shape magnet piece to each circle.

So now, when my children have complete a chore then can put that number (for the corresponding task) onto the day of the week that they completed it.

 

I use some of the ephemera (labels) to add their names.

 Technically they have to brush their teeth and make their beds every day but I didn't have enough space to create seven 1's etc...  But they'll get the idea and I'll know whether they've done it or not! :)

Supplies:

Daily Grind 6x6 Paper Pad|#3622

Ephemera|#3629

4x6 Journaling Card Elements |#3612

2z12 Border & 4x12 Strip Elements|#3614

Bingo Cards/Months | #3616

Other: magnet sheet and magentic board

Home Decor

Happy Holidays!!!
Are you getting excited yet? I am!!!!  I just love this time of the year!

I love decorating my home for the holidays and today I am thrilled to share with you this super easy Christmas/Winter frame that I made using some Simple Stories products.

I used a black frame that I had from Ikea and on the inside I cut a piece of patterned paper (Blue Snowflake/Chevron) from the December Documented collection.

I then adhered a 3x4 Journaling Elements card over top of that (which I'd matted onto a piece of white cardstock).

 

 

 

I cut out some white vinyl letters (and snowflake) using my Silhouette and adhered those right onto the front of the glass part of the frame.

To finish it off and make it a fun piece of artwork I added some little silver bells inside.

I wish you a blessed holiday season!

 

Supplies:

December Documented  Collection- Blue Snowflake /Chevron (#3516)  and  the 3x4 Journaling Elements (#3510)

Other: Ikea frame, SIlhouette Cameo, white vinyl, silver bells

Christmas Decor In A [email protected]

Hey everyone! It's Gail here today to share a quick and simple Christmas decor project using the Christmas [email protected] set! You might be thinking that it's too late to be creating decorations but it's not! Take a look:

I had a wooden divided frame that I had painted white some time ago. The "windows" are 6"x4" and 3"x4" so it was easy to adhere a [email protected] card in each. The hardest part was deciding which cards to use! 

I tried to keep mine very bright and fun so my young children would love it!

I didn't add too many embellishments as it was so cute already! In one window I added one of our glitter star ornaments from our tree and a couple of phrase stickers from the sticker [email protected] set. 

I added enamel dots on the Christmas tree and a simple banner with our family name finished it off nicely. I went back later and added Glossy Accents over the top of several designs - such as Santa's belt, the heards and the trim on Santa's clothes. 

I've had it on display now for a few days and my kids love touching the "shiny" parts each time they go near it! They are so excited as Santa will be here soon! 

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This is my last post for Simple Stories. I've thoroughly enjoyed creating with their collections over the past couple of years and I sincerely hope that I've inspired you along the way! I'm due to have our third baby early 2014 so that will keep me busy for some time!

From down here in Australia, I hope you all have an awesome Christmas!

 

[email protected] Christmas Products Used:

#4170 [email protected] Stickers

#4171 4x6 [email protected] Cards

#4172 3x4 [email protected] Cards

The Holidays with December Documented

Here we are in the midst of December! Even though the holiday season is in full swing you still have plenty of time to make some fun holiday items with the Simple Stories December Documented. 

Start with a gift card holder on a Christmas card. These are super easy to make with the fabulous coordinating [email protected] pockets.

And make a litle treat box for any Christmas colored goodies.

You can use one of the 4x6 transparencies from the December Documented Collection Kit punched into a circle to create a fun window to see the treats!

And last but not least, you can fill a 6x8 Simple Stories album with page inserts, pocket pages and more to create an album to mark each fun December day!

You may remember from THIS POST that I started the base of this album a while back .

 So, now I am just adding pictures and some extras here and there.

 But, even if you have not started a daily December album, you could quickly pull one together in a [email protected] with all the Simple Stories December Documented and [email protected] goodies!

So, for this holiday season keep it simple with Simple Stories and get your cards, gifts and albums done in a [email protected]! Happy Holidays!

Supplies Used:

 Simple Stories December Documented Collection

12 x 12 Collection Kit #3500

Cardstock Fundamental Stickers #3502

Expression Cardstock Stickers #3503

6x6 Paper Pad#3522

Chipboard #3528

Brads #3527

Simple Basics #3501

[email protected] Pages #3524

[email protected] Pockets #3525

[email protected] cards #3523

 

'Tis the Season!!

It's December 1st! Who else is excited about that?  I know I sure am!  

That means the countdown can begin!  And to help with that process I created this super fun Advent Calendar. You can fill the boxes with little treats, messages, quotes, holiday traditions to do that day, etc. The list is endless and be changed up every year.

I used my  Silhouette and THIS cut file that you can purchase in the Silhouette Online Store.  It was quite easy to put together.  

I chose to use white cardstock for my frame because of the contrast with the patterned papers & embellishments but you could use whatever color you wanted.

I cut out 25 boxes from various patterned papers from the December Documented collection.

I then embellished each box with Stickers & Chipboard from the December Documented collection and the [email protected] Christmas set.  These work together just perfectly.

At the top of the box I adhered the chipboard sentiment "Merry Christmas".

I also created a box from patterned paper and adhered that to the top section of the box. This finished the box off so nicely.

I used some brads from the December Documented colleciton on a few of the boxes as well.

Now to open BOX #1! My Kids are so excited!!

 

Supplies:

[email protected] Christmas  Stickers -#4170

December Documented - Fundamental Cardstock Stickers - #3502

December Documented- Expression Cardstock Stickers - #3503

December Documented- Chipboard - #3528

December Documented- Brads - #3527

December Documented - Special Delivery - #3504; Naughty or Nice -#3505; Hello December - #3506; Peace, Love & Joy - #3507; Be Merry - #3508; Holly Jolly - #3509; 

December Documented - Red Snowflake/Chevron - #3517

 

Other:
Core'dinations Colorcore Cardstock (Snowflake); Twine

[email protected]! and Spellbinders: Day 5

Happy Friday to you all!  Shellye here to share with you today :)  I'm changing up the focus of this week's spotlight with Spellbinders to bring a 12 Days of Christmas  Tag-Style Mini Album using [email protected]! and a bit of December Documented.

For the base of the album, I started with Spellbinder's Wonky Rectangles Nestabilities and used the largest (3.25" X 4.25") die.  I first cut the shape from a thin weight chipboard and then various papers from the 6X6 December Documented Paper Pad. 

Although using smaller dies from the same set would also look just as sweet, I decided to go with an oval shape (2.25" X 3")  from the Spellbinder's Classic Ovals Nestabilities. 

And I just fell in love with Spellbinder's Layered Poinsettias ...I use a lot of snowflakes for winter/Christmas themes, so this was a nice change! For the front, I used two of the smaller poinsettia shapes and then glittered the yellow centers. 

Before attaching the little penguin guy to the top of the cover, I applied him to a piece of paper and then trimmed out; this added stability and also took away the sticky. To the bottom, I glued on a pom pom trim from May Arts Ribbon.

Below are all of the pages to commemorate the 12 Days of Christmas.  When adding photos, I plan to use one of the smaller ovals to die-cut my photos.  Between each 'day' I have added a cut-down piece of overlay from the December Documented Collection Kit, as well as [email protected]! Pockets and December Documented 3x4 [email protected]! Cards.

This concept would also make a cute brag book for a new mom or grandma.  Add more [email protected]! pockets and fill with movie tickets or gift cards...a gift within a gift!

Thank you for visiting Simple Stories as we wrap-up this week of Spellbinders inspiration!

Simple Stories Products: December Documented- 6X6 Paper Pad; 12x12 Collection Kit; Chipboard Stickers; Decorative Brads;; [email protected]! Cards; [email protected]! Christmas Set- Pockets; Stickers; [email protected]! Color Vibe- 6X6 Paper Pad; [email protected]! Embellishments- Stickers Letters; Stickers Typeset; Stickers Labels