Simple Stories

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!

 

Love in a [email protected]!

Happy day after Valentine's Day :) 

Hello friends, Layle back here with you today.  With love still in the air, I thought it would be fun to share a fun LOVE themed album created by designer Sue Kendall using our Love [email protected]! Set and 6x8 Faux Leather Album.

I love how Sue added a little embellishment to the bottom right corner of the front of the album - they're beautiful albums 'as is'; adding just a little something to the cover makes them really pop!

To add a bit of variety, Sue added the inserts from the red [email protected]! Binder (chipboard divider pages, additional 6x8 Pocket Pages & Journal Page inserts) in addition to the Pocket Pages included in the 6x8 Faux Leather Album for lots of fun pages!

She used one of the 4x6 Pockets from the Love [email protected]! Set in this pocket page - what a great idea to insert it sideways in the pocket!

 

Here she simply punched holes in a 4x6 Love card and inserted it in the album as it's own page!

How about this clever idea for using 3x4 cards - create a cascading 'waterfall' effect by scoring & adhering the tops of 3 cards, as Sue did on this page -

Sue was able to put this mini album together in a jiffy using the 3x4 & 4x6 cards and the Pockets & stickers from the Love [email protected]! Set -

Now all she needs to do is add photos and a bit of journaling and she has a fun keepsake of her loved ones :)

Simple Stories & Petaloo Design Team-Up Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of the Simple Stories & Petaloo Design Team-Up Week!  We’re so excited to team up with Petaloo to share some inspiring projects with you this week.

We’ll be giving away two great Petaloo prize packages at the end of the week, so be sure to play along and check back on Sunday the 16^th to see if you’re the lucky winner!

Here are the different ways you can play along –

1. Like Simple Stories on Facebook 
2. Share this blog post on your Facebook wall and tell us you did on our Facebook wall
3. Follow Simple Stories on Pinterest 
4. Follow Simple Stories on Instagram at simplestories_
5. Comment hereon our blog or on Facebook
   

Petaloo is also posting projects and giving away prizes, so be sure to check out their blog and Facebook page, too!

Hi, Alissa here with you today! I've got another Life Documented spread using the Homespun line from Simple Stories and several awesome products from Petaloo. I love how the Petaloo products add pretty layers to my Pocket Page spreads on the outside of the pockets. So fun!

I also included a 6x8 Pocket Page insert and I used the new 2x2 Insta Pocket Pages. I was even able to make a little confetti pocket with some of the Petaloo flowers. No sewing machine? Staples work great to close up the opening.

I layered the Petaloo flowers on the tops of my Pocket Pages. The larger ones I adhered with pop dots and the smaller one has a staple holding it one.

The chipboard piece from the Homespun collection is on the top of the Pocket Page, too. I prefer having my pockets lay flat and add the thicker embellishments on the top of the pockets.

And the insert page. I really LOVE these new smaller pockets in the 6x8 Pocket Pages!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Head on over to the Petaloo blog and check out what their Design Team has created using their embellishments and our Simple Stories products! They’re also hosting giveaways as well, so what are you waiting for – head on over!  J

Check in again with us tomorrow for more inspiring projects from Simple Stories & Petaloo!  

Supplies Used:

Simple Stories Homespun Collection

• 12x12 Collection Kit
• Fundamental Cardstock Stickers
• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• Bits & Pieces
• Chipboard
• Insta-Squares
• [email protected]! Cards

Simple Stories DIY Collection

• Enamel Dots - Teal, Red & Yellow

Petaloo Products

• Fancy Trims (shades of beige)
• Bontanica Collection Faux Dried Blooms (red)
• Botanica Collection Faux Dried Blooms (cranberry/amber/green)
• Textured Elements Mini Blossoms (amber)
• Textured Elements Mini Blossoms (ivory)
• The Penny Lane Garden Collection Forget Me Nots ( robin egg blue)

 

Simple Stories & Petaloo Design Team-Up Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Simple Stories & Petaloo – Design Team-Up Week!  We’re so excited to team up with Petaloo to share some inspiring projects with you this week.

We’ll be giving away two great Petaloo prize packages at the end of the week, so be sure to play along and check back on Sunday the 16^th to see if you’re the lucky winner!

Here are the different ways you can play along –

1. Like Simple Stories on Facebook
2. Share this blog post on your Facebook wall and tell us you did on our Facebook wall
3. Follow Simple Stories on Pinterest
4. Follow Simple Stories on Instagram at simplestories_
5. Comment here on our blog or on Facebook

Petaloo is also posting projects and giving away prizes, so be sure to check out their blog and Facebook page, too!

 It's Mindi here with you today. I am so excited to share with you a Life Documented Project using the wonderful Homespun and Petaloo products. It was the perfect match-up of colors and products to document a regular week in our lives.

Here is my 2 page spread.

I used the empty space on my photo to add some embellishments. I really had fun layering some of the Petaloo flowers along with some Homespun Bits and Pieces.

 Here are some more close ups. I love how all of the colors compliment each other.

I added some lovely Petaloo ribbon as a border for the top of my photo. Also used the one of the new Photo Overlays.

The cute flower pot was perfect for one of journaling cards to go along with my flower story. I added one of the Petaloo flowers to the top to add some great texture and dimension.

I love how fun these [email protected] Cuts are ! I placed some patterened paper behind the cut, each letter having a different patterned paper. Also added a sticker and another embellishment.

Thanks for coming by !

Supplies used :

Simple Stories Homespun Collection

• [email protected] Cards
• Bits and Pieces
• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• [email protected] Cuts
• Heart and Home patterned paper
• Homemade patterned paper

Simple Stories Family Collection

• [email protected] Stickers

Simple Stories Photo Overlays

Petaloo Products :

• Fancy Trims (Creme)
• Forget Me Nots (Robin Egg Blue)
• Textured Elements (Amber)
• Botanica Collection (Cranberry/Amber/Green)

Head on over to the Petaloo blog and check out what their Design Team has created using their embellishments and our Simple Stories products! They’re also hosting giveaways as well, so what are you waiting for – head on over! 

Check in again with us tomorrow for more inspiring projects from Simple Stories & Petaloo! 

 

Head on over to the Petaloo blog and check out what their Design Team has created using their embellishments and our Simple Stories products! They’re also hosting giveaways as well, so what are you waiting for – head on over!  

Check in again with us tomorrow for more inspiring projects from Simple Stories & Petaloo!  

- See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/#sthash.9J0TbsUl.dpuf

Head on over to the Petaloo blog and check out what their Design Team has created using their embellishments and our Simple Stories products! They’re also hosting giveaways as well, so what are you waiting for – head on over!  

Check in again with us tomorrow for more inspiring projects from Simple Stories & Petaloo!  

- See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/#sthash.9J0TbsUl.dpuf

 

 

Life Documented with A Charmed Life

 

Hello Everyone! It's Kristine Davidson here today with a Life Documented post using  the NEW collection called A Charmed Life. 

When I first saw the colors in A Charmed Life  I was in love. The bright yellow, the green and navy blue just remind me of summertime - that white polo shirt with a green collar, the navy blue shorts and boat shoes ;-) I know this has nothing to do with my Life Documented spread this week but that's what this collection reminds me of. It's the middle of winter here on the east coast of Canada and I need some color. I used some of that yellow and some navy blue from the flowers and diecuts and that Heisenburg title was perfect for this Life Documented spread !!! I had to create January 15-31 in a one week spread due to the fact that hubby and I were so sick from January 22-31. We didn't do much other than watch television and sleep!

 

a few close up pictures for you

 

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out a title card Oh Hello Life, and I used the Hello for my title card. I then added some stickers and sewed around the edge. Those cute little diecut flowers from the Bits & Pieces pack are so perfect to add some details to your pages or projects. 

 

This little transparent sticker SO Much Fun is NEW from the DIY Collection

I added the Card Foundation -Kraft card and a cut out piece of a 6x6 paper 
that was perfect for journaling.  Everything works so well together. 

I will be using the 12x12 [email protected]! Leather Album in black for all of my Life Documented pages. It's sturdiness, metal corner accents, and stitch details are fantastic. Since the album will be handled often - this album is perfect.

I used the 12x12 [email protected]! Pocket Pages, Design 3 . I love the use of 3x4" cards and also 4x6. It's something that works great for me and my Life Documented pages.  

The Charmed Life Products Used :
Fundamental Cardstock Stickers #3702
Expression Cardstock Stickers #3703
6x6 Paper Pad #3722
Bits & Pieces #3729
Brads #3727
3x4 Journaling Card Elements #3710
4x6 Horizontal Journaling Card Elements #3711
[email protected]! Cards #3723
Silouette Cut File #54453

The DIY Products Used:
Card Foundations - Kraft #5124
Journaling Layers - Kraft #5120
Enamel Dots - Teal Red & Yellow #5129
Clear Photo Stickers | #5143

Hope you enjoyed my Life Documented pages and will be inspired to create your own using our new collections ;-) 

Life Documented with [email protected]! Love

Hi everyone! Allison Davis here with a Life Documented layout using the [email protected]! Love Set and I've got another sketch that mixes the [email protected]! Pocket Pages with traditional scrapbooking!

I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with hearts. All things hearts. I have shirts with hearts, necklaces with hearts, a heart change purse, heart bookends, heart decor, heart headbands, heart drinking glasses...hearts, hearts, hearts! Naturally this love for hearts has made it's way into my scrapbooking as well. I use them all the time whether it's a layout covered in hearts or just simply sneaking in a teeny tiny heart on an embellishment. It's probably pretty obvious that I love the month of February since everything is covered in hearts! I figured that if I was going to make a sketch to celebrate my love for hearts, then this would be the perfect month for it.

You can download the full sketch with measurements and placements here: Life Documented Sketch #8

The left page of the sketch is a traditional scrapbook layout while the right page uses a combination of cards and photos with the [email protected]! Pocket Page, Design 6

Here's a look at my layout based on the sketch above:

The [email protected]! Love Set was the perfect choice for not just this sketch but my pictures too. This set has so many great cards and lots of hearts!

On the left page I wanted to have a little fun with that huge heart background. I've done so many layouts with a large heart background like that so I wanted to put a new spin on an old idea. I decided to cut a lot of 1 x 3" strips of paper and use them to create my own pattern on the heart.

I started by cutting out a large heart from a piece of cardstock. Then I started adhering the strips in a pattern until I had the whole heart covered. After that I trimmed around the heart to cut off the part of the strips that where hanging over the edge.

To finish the design I added stitching over the strips. (My junior high home economics teacher would never believe that I stitched this! I wouldn't blame her since in her class I somehow managed to sew the elbow of my sweatshirt to the collar.) The stitching was time consuming but I love the look of stitching and the texture it adds. Plus, I really like the quilted look when making patterns like this.

There are so many patterns you could make to create a unique design on that heart background. You could try small squares, a chevron pattern, triangles, smaller hearts, circles, torn strips of paper, larger stripes of paper going across the whole heart, banners, or a starburst. There are so many possibilities!

I had my son, Jackson, help with this layout. For the journaling he finished the sentence, "I love my dad because..." I try to have my kids help me with the journaling on a lot of layouts. As scrapbookers we are often so used to just capturing our perspectives. Sometimes it's fun to get other loved one's views on layouts too. Plus, kids usually say some really cute and funny stuff!

One the right page I used a Pocket Page with a mix of photos and cards to match the left page. I added a few of my own little heart details to the cards and pictures.

On the top photo I added three punched hearts, some stitching, and the cute little phrase sticker.

Both of these 3x4 cards were two of my favorites in the whole set. The first with the hearts had a nice open space perfect for a small 3 x 2" photo. The second, "All you need is love", is one of my favorite sayings.

On the bottom part of the Pocket Page I used two more 3x4 cards. The first one had enough space for me to add another 3x2 photo, like I did on the card at the top. I added a little extra detail by stitching a heart frame around the "i  ♥ you". The second card is a check list and instead of just checking each item, I used small punched hearts as the check.

On the 4x6 card on the bottom, I added a small 2x2 photo to the frame and a small yellow heart to the arrow.

I will be using the 12x12 [email protected]! Leather Album in black for all of my Life Documented pages. I love the details like the metal accents and stitching.

I used the 12x12 [email protected]! Pocket Pages, Design 6 from the Variety Pack. You get so many different options and great designs with the Variety Pack!

The [email protected]! Love products I used were:

• [email protected]! Stickers

• 4x6 [email protected]! Cards

• 3x4 [email protected]! Cards

I hope you all enjoy using the new Life Documented sketch!

Life Documented with Daily Grind

Hello, Simple Stories fans! Melissa here to share a week in my Life Documented album that uses the mid-release Daily Grind collection- I wanted to take this collection out for one last spin before the new lines from CHA Winter arrived. You may have already read my post from last November where I used Daily Grind for the first time, and this time around I put a slightly different, slightly seasonal spin on it. 

My previous Life Documented layout with Daily Grind was from a summer week and used pretty much all of the colors in the collection. For this particular week, though, I went with a warn fall palette of orange, red, and yellow since the photos were taken in October and incorporate some seasonal activities. A few of the other colors from the collection do make an appearance, but only in tiny amounts and mostly in the embellishments.

With an everyday collection like Daily Grind, taking it from non-themed to seasonal is really just as easy as choosing just a few colors from the palette! It doesn't matter at all that there aren't any "fall" specific embellishments on the page because the photos themselves convey that message. Even if you're not going for a seasonal look, pulling out just a subset of the colors in any collection is a great way to get a whole new look from the line and stretch your scraps and scrapbooking dollars even further. 

I don't often use see-through elements in my Life Documented album because I have so many photos and don't want to commit to having an entire pocket taken up on the opposite side of the Pocket Page. I challenged myself to find other creative ways to use [email protected] Cuts from the collection and found that they make great layering elements! I used two of them on this layout and backed them with pieces of patterned paper, then used small chipboard pieces as accents in two of the negative spaces. 

You might notice that while I used lots of colorful patterned paper in the 4x6 pockets, I used mostly neutral journaling spots in the 3x4 pockets with just a bit of patterned paper under some of the smaller photos. That helped to keep color and pattern the spread from getting out of hand, and it also gave me the chance to use up some of the great natural textures from the collection including cork and woodgrain.

As I close out my 2011 and 2013 (2012 is finished- woohoo!) Life Documented albums, I'm using the 12x12 faux leather [email protected] in teal to hold my layouts. The longer I use these albums the more I fall madly in love with their quality (even my Dad has commented on how well they are made!), and I'm looking forward to continuing my Life Documented layouts in a 6x8 format (again, in a teal album) in 2014 when I get my first batch of photos from the start of this year back from the printer. 

 

 

All of my weekly Life Documented pages for 2011, 2012, and 2013 use Design 3 Pocket Pages. 2014 is going to be a wild and crazy (well, it qualifies as wild and crazy around here) adventure of mixing up all of Simple Stories' 6x8 designs, including the new Insta-Pocket Pages.

Daily Grind Products Used:

• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• Fundamental Cardstock Stickers
• Chipboard
• Brads
• 3x4 Journaling Card Elements Paper
• 4x6 Journaling Card Elements Paper
• [email protected] Cards
• [email protected] Cuts
• [email protected] Pockets
• 6x6 Paper Pad

Life Documented with Daily Grind

Hi, everyone! Teri here with a Life Documented project! I'm here to show you a couple pages I made recently with Simple Stories' Daily Grind collection!

When one of my buddies paid a visit this month, we spent a couple days hitting the local attractions. I took so many pictures and collected so many trinkets from the museums we went to that  I inspired to make this two-page spread.

The left page focuses on our first stop: the local science museum. A traveling exhibit on Sherlock Holmes was in town, and we managed to hit it on the very last day. The lines were super, super long. In fact, there was a two-hour wait to get in! But it was so worth it. We learned all about the science of solving crimes and also got to see some real life props from the Sherlock Holmes' inspired movies and television shows. So cool!

Rather than spending a lot of time resizing pictures to work on this page, I instead opted to just print a bunch out as 4x6 pictures and then cut them down with my paper trimmer.

To give the page a little extra personality, I cut some strips of Daily Grind paper and added them right to some of the pictures. I also plopped a few stickers right on top of the Pocket Pages.

I customized this card (cut from a piece of Daily Grind paper) by adding some stickers, paper strips and a brad to it.

And I tucked my ticket and a few receipts from the day into this pocket here.

I used the right page of my layout to focus on the next day's activity: a trip to the local forestry center. I've lived near this museum much of my life, but I had never paid a visit to it. My friend had never been there either so it made for a fun afternoon!

One of the things I really love that comes in the Daily Grind 12x12 Collection Kit is the photo overlays. I didn't have any pictures to use them on for these pages, but I knew I wanted to use a couple of them in some way. So I created the title card (of sorts) for my page here with one of them (and some patterned paper and an assortment of Daily Grind embellishments).

I also cut down one of the overlays to fit in this pocket here. By the way, that's a die-cut (from the Ephemera pack from Daily Grind collection) that I typed on and then mounted right onto the overlay.

After I was all done putting together these pages, I realized I still had a few postcards, pamplets and trinkets from the two adventures. So  what what did I do? I added them to my spread.

I simply tucked the postcards and a couple pieces of paper into a 6x8 [email protected]! page and then used my hole punch to punch holes into the pamphlets and add them to the binder.

You'd think I planned it that way. Nope. It  was just a happy accident.

I'm using a 12x12 [email protected]! Faux Leather Album in red to put my 2014 Life Documented pages in. I love that is holds so many pages and that the binder mechanism allows me to mix and match different pages styles and page sizes.

I used  [email protected]! Pocket Pages Design 6 (3x4, 4x6) and Design 1o (3x4, 4x4) for my pages today. I also used a Pocket Page from the 6x8 Variety Pack. Again, I love the variety of page styles and sizes Simple Stories offers!

 

The Daily Grind products I used to make my pages were:

• 12x12 Collection Kit
• Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers
• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• 6x6 Paper Pad
• Ephemera
• Chipboard Stickers
• Brads
• [email protected]! Cards

Thanks for tuning in today. I hope you are off to a great weekend! I look forward to being back again soon!

Thanks for tuning in today! Wishing you the best Tuesday! I look forward to sharing more of my pages with you soon!

- See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/2013/06/life-documented-with-snp.html#sthash.Y1IWMBKX.dpuf

Life Documented with [email protected]! Him

Hi everyone, Marie here today to share a project using a [email protected]! Him set.  I've been enjoying seeing all of the new CHA releases. One of the things I've been most excited about are the new [email protected]! Sets with themes ranging from dogs and cats, to birthdays and weddings. 

The [email protected]! sets are so handy because you make an entire spread or even a mini album based around one theme, in this case the life of a boy.

Instead of making a weekly or monthly spread, I made these pages based on what my son is currently interested in these days.

I was inspired by one of the 4x6" cards in the [email protected]! Him set, which lists out current interests.  I thought it would be a great starting point for a layout about the life of an eleven year old.

I also included a picture of his room, and some recent school work held in one of the [email protected]! pockets.

I used the stickers to decorate a couple of journaling cards, including one of our "after school coversations." This spread has become a favorite of mine because it tells the story of his life as it is right now. 

I have been using the 12x12 [email protected]! Faux Leather Album in teal.  I love the stitching and detail on this album.

I used these [email protected]! Pocket Pages:

 [email protected]! Him sets used:

• [email protected]! Pockets | #4161
• [email protected]! Stickers | #4162
• 4 x 6 [email protected]! cards | #4163
• 3 x 4 [email protected]! cards | #4164

Thanks for joining me today!  Which [email protected]! sets are you most excited to use? 

 

 

Life Documented with Daily Grind

Hey All! Have you been enjoying the CHA sneaks, peaks and shares? I know I have and I cannot wait to get the new Simple Stories products here to play with!  Alissa here with a new Life Documented spread using the Daily Grind Collection. I am still LOVING this collection with all of the brights and the wood grain and the daily stuff. So fun!!!

This week late last summer started with a fun photo shoot of a friend's gorgeous girls and ended with another friend's gorgeous country wedding. I knew I wanted to include more photos than the traditional 2 page spread would allow for. I remembered that the 6x8 [email protected]! Pocket Pages are designed to go right in the 3 ring 12x12 albums, too. Problem solved! I was able to add in 2 of the 2-4x6 Pocket Pages and that gave me plenty of room. I didn't have to narrow down those great photos to too few. :)

I used another 3x4 [email protected]! Pocket to hold a flyer from a fun social we went to and I couldn't resist all the cute cameras throughout the line.

Here are the 2 6x8 [email protected]! Pocket Pages. Perfect, right?

And, the left side of the spread. I had not used the 6-4x6 Pocket Pages yet and it was a lot of fun filling up those bigger pockets. This is Design 2. A nice change in my book.

I have been using the 12x12 [email protected]! Faux Leather album in teal and I LOVE it! I need a few more! They are so sturdy and this color is so awesome!

The [email protected]! Pocket Pages used here.

Daily Grind products used in this spread.

• 12x12 Collection Kit | #3600
• Fundamental Cardstock Stickers | #3602
• Expression Cardstock Stickers | #3603
• 6x6 Paper Pad | #3622
• Ephemera | #3629
• Chipboard | #3628
• Brads | #3627
• 4x6 Journaling Card Elements 1 & 2 | #3611 & #3612
• [email protected]! Pockets | #3625
• [email protected]! Cuts | #3626
• [email protected]! Cards | #3623

I hope you have enjoyed my catch up week from late last summer with Daily Grind. While we all wait for the new stuff to release, let's get documenting with this awesome, fun line!