Simple Stories

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

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

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

This card is one of the 3x4 SN@P! cards from our new Cat SN@P! Set that we introduced as part of our Winter 2014 release.  Without going into a reallllly long story that spans 3 cats over 20 plus years, we currently have 2 cats.  And I'm NOT a cat person.  Like I said, long story.  If we ever meet in person and there's a lull in our conversation, ask me about cats...  Anyway, I love this devil cat card.  If you've ever had a cat, I'm sure you know what I mean - sometimes they can be little devils!

Next up is Andrea Corriveau with this 4x6 card from our Everyday SN@P! Set -

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

I love this card because it totally relates to my life.  I laugh when I think of all the times my kids have rolled their eyes at me when I say, “Hold on while I get some pictures"!   I totally have a snappy life 😊

Alissa Fast chose this 3x3 Insta-Squares card, from our new Homepsun Insta-Squares - 

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

I am still loving the chalkboard trend and I am really in love with the new square sizes of cards! Perfect with all the Instagram photos out there! The outline fount is also a favorite of mine. LOVE this card!

Allison Davis selected not one, but TWO 3x4 cards from our new Dog SN@P! Set -

   

According to Allison -

I picked the two cards with the wiener dog (or dachshund). The first card has the head of the dog and the second card has the tail end of the dog.  We have two dachshund's, Oscar and Abbey, so I was especially drawn to those two cards. I love that the dog is split, head and tail, between the two cards! I can't wait to use those!

Next up is Cari Locken with this 4x6 card from our Everyday SN@P! Set -

When I asked Cari why she selected this card, she said

First of all I absolutely adore the chevron background and the fun font colours. That makes me happy.  Second of all, this phrase is just a great reminder that everyday doesn't have to be incredibly awesome. I can always find something good in my day, no matter how small it may be - perhaps enjoying that morning cup of coffee or my kiddos making their beds in the morning!

Last up this month, but certainly NOT least, is Angella Peardon, with a twist on her card selection!   Her current favorite is this 4x6 die cut card from our Say Cheese SN@P! Cuts - 

 
Angella created this amazing house minibook, using this card as the cover!

Don't you just love that; what a great way to use one of our SN@P! Cut cards!

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, February 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 180 fabulous Simple Stories cards, people!

Cat SN@P! Set - 3x4 Cards
Everyday SN@P! Set - 4x6 Cards
Homespun Insta-Squares
Dog SN@P! Set - 3x4 Cards
Say Cheese SN@P! Cuts

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

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

January Guest Designer Julie Johnson

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

You may remember last year back in June when I introduced you to a super talented designer - Julie Johnson. 

Well, I've invited Julie back again this month to share an amazing SN@P! Binder she created with our Daily Grind collection! 

Julie has worked in the industry designing and teaching for some time.  Four years ago, with the nudging and support of family and friends, she started her own online kit club business -  Paisleys and Polka Dots.  This is how we know Julie at Simple Stories, and let me tell you, she has quite the audience of fans in our office!  She does AMAZING work with Simple Stories products :)

She's created a FABULOUS SN@P! Binder for one of her January kits using our Daily Grind collection that I'm thrilled to share with you.  Here are some shots of her project, prepared to be WOWED!

Here are all of the pages inside the binder -

Here are close-ups of a few of the pages -

Pretty awesome, right?!  Every time I see one of Julie's creations with our products, my jaw literally drops.  She's one talented lady!

Thanks Julie for sharing our work with us again!!

About Paisleys and Polka Dots
Paisleys and Polka Dots is a non-subscription monthly kit club that is a little different from the rest.  Maybe you find yourself in need of some inspiration, you are too busy and need something quick and easy, or you just can’t figure out those cutting instructions from a pre-designed kit.  Paisleys and Polka Dots take the guess work out of designing, so they are perfect for beginners, but also detailed enough for the seasoned scrapper to appreciate. All kits are pre-cut and packaged by page, so there is no more guessing what goes where.  Their kits are also perfect for crops; grab a few of your tools and supplies and you are good to go.  New kits are released at the beginning of each month and there is no subscription to join, so you choose only the kits you like. 

Visit Paisleys and Polka Dots at www.paisleysandpolkadots.com  and on their blog at www.luv2createscraps.typepad.com/paisleysandpolkadots.  

- See more at: http://simplestories.typepad.com/simple_stories/2013/06/july-guest-designer-julie-johnson.html#sthash.SSsYmAd4.dpuf

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 SN@P 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 SN@P 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

Daily Grind is Anything But a Grind :)

Hi Simple Stories Fans! Happy New Year! Rebecca Keppel here wishing you a wonderful start to 2014. Today, I want to talk more about the Daily Grind collection.

The great thing about Daily Grind is that it is super versatile, colorful and fun--anything but a grind! While many people are finishing up their December Daily albums, I actually still had my November 30 Days of Thankful Album (from this POST) sitting on my table and decided to finish that first using the fabulous Daily Grind Collection. Just a reminder here was the cover:

I added a die cut SN@P Daily Grind insert as the inside page with some stickers to mark the month and year.

I had already completed about a weeks worth of pages, so just had to finish the rest. LOTS of photos ahead!

I love the Pockets for memorabilia, but I hadnt really collected anything this month, so I just used it to layer multiple pictures.

This was an album documenting 30 days of being thankful, but it was also made to document a period in our lives, so even tough times are represented.

I love mixing in the die cut page inserts.

When it is called for, mixing in bits of pieces from Simple Stories SN@P lines or even Smarty Pants (for progress reports day) is fun too.

I like to trim down the 2x12 border strips to slip in the side pockets of these pocket pages.

Using a mix of pocket pages and page inserts creates a fun, layered effect.

The back of this page insert was fun on it's own so I didnt add anything to it!Several times I cut down the SN@P cuts from 4x6 to 4x4 size to fit into the 4x4 pocket pages.

They also look great layered directly on a page or layout. I love the dark woodgrain in the Daily Grind collection and journaling on it with a white gel pen.

I like to mix handwritten and type written journaling too.

As an Instangram lover, I am so excited that Simple Stories makes pocket pages with 4x4 pockets and now some of the cut aparts from the patterned paper are in the 4x4 size too, like this People We Love card.

The patterned paper on the right hand page is my absolute favorite in the line :)

These speech bubbles were perfect for yummy food words to go along with my photos.

Mixing sizes of photos from 3x4 to 4x4 and even 3x5 (layered on 4x6 patterned paper mattes) makes a dynamic mini album.

Layering chipboard, stickers, cards and patterned paper is fun too!

With all the fantastic elements of Daily Grind and Simple Stories SN@P, I was able to complete this many photo, multi journaled mini album documenting an enite month, in just one afternoon!

Supplies Used:

Simple Stories Daily Grind Collection

Simple Stories 6x8 SN@P Album in Brown

Life Documented with December Documented

Hello, Simple Stories fans! Melissa here today to share a project using the Simple Stories December Documented collection.

I've mentioned on my own blog a few times this season that in 2011 and 2012 I took photos and typed up journaling for Christmas albums in a Google Document, but I never moved past that stage to finishing the actual album. This year I decided to start things differently and put together my 2013 foundation pages ahead of time using a 6x8 Sn@p album- a red faux leather one, to be exact. As I put more and more pages together, I fell more and more in love with the process of working with the divided page protectors in this small format, and it wasn't long before I'd decided to pick up my 2012 and 2011 albums and work on them in the same albums! 

Today I have several pages from my 2012 Christmas journal to share, along with some tips for those who are either feeling behind on their Christmas albums, are still thinking that they might want to jump onto the bandwagon with others who are documenting the holidays, or those (like me!) who have started this project in past years but never completed those older albums.

 Stick to one collection. There are so many great choices available in the way of Christmas scrapbooking supplies, and, while it's fun to pull lots of them together, it can also be paralyzing to have so many different options available. Narrow those choices down to just one line- in my case December Documented- to make the decisions easier down the road.

 Use one page per entry. You can decide what an "entry" is to you- is it a day during December? One activity in December? Whatever it is, limit yourself to one side of one page protector per entry. It'll cut down on the number of pages you need to scrap, obviously, and it'll also force you to edit what you include down to the most important items. 

 Start with the most recent entry. If you're behind on this year's album, or if you're wanting to catch up on albums from one or more previous years, then start with what's freshest on your mind and then work backward. If you try starting an album today (on December 14th) with an entry for the 1st, you're more likely to feel behind and tempted to give up. By starting with what's new and exciting and then working backward, you get an immediate sense of accomplishment that will help keep you moving forward with your album.

Fill the pocket with a full-size photo. It's fun to get creative and make little mini-layouts in all the different slots on a Pocket Page, but if you're pressed for time, using a photo that completely fills a pocket is a great way to quickly fill up your page real estate!

Keep it simple. In any album that has lots of entries, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Having a completed album full of Christmas stories and memories is more important than having each page be a masterpiece, so concentrate instead on adding just a few touches here and there- I promise that in the end your album as a whole will be wonderful! My rule of thumb for each page in this album is a photo, a decorative card of some sort, journaling, and then just a tiny touch of embellishment.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm using a red faux-leather 6x8 Sn@p album for my Christmas journals along with a variety of 6x8 Pocket Pages. I've fallen in love with the quality of these albums, and they truly have a luxurious feel to them.

December Documented Products Used:

• 12x12 Collection Kit
• Simple Basics Kit
• 6x6 Paper Pad
• Chipboard
• Brads
• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• Sn@p Cuts
• Sn@p 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 SN@P 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 SN@P with all the Simple Stories December Documented and SN@P goodies!

So, for this holiday season keep it simple with Simple Stories and get your cards, gifts and albums done in a SN@P! 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

SN@P Pages #3524

SN@P Pockets #3525

SN@P cards #3523

 

Life Documented - December Daily Album, documented.

Hi all!

It's Kelly Goree and I'm so excited to be back sharing my December Documented album (that actually is documented - at least for the first few days) using the gorgeous December Documented line and SN@P! Christmas sets. Wow, that's a lot of documenting, but I am determined that THIS year, I'm going to make it through all 31 days! And as of this moment, I AM CAUGHT UP!!! 

I'm feeling very accomplished with this and I couldn't have done it - or at least not as easily - without the help of the SN@P 6x8 binder & inserts!

I canNOT say enough good things about this album kit. I have done (okay, attempted) one of these albums for the past four years, used all types of albums including making one of my own, and this by far is my favorite! It is truly the perfect size and spine width and it is making this process so much easier!

I posted the intro portion of my album earlier (you can see it HERE) but I did want to re-share the cover that I blinged up a bit: 

One of my favorite parts of this album is the bookplate on the spine. I adore the braket shape and used one of the Mixed Brads (#3107) tucked into it to create my title plate. It was super easy and it looks so cute!

 The left page on this spread is one of the SN@P! Pages (#3524). They are the perfect extra pages to make your album come together so easily! The right page is one of the divided page protectors that come with the album. I added another one of the brads (The "Be Merry" tag) and accented it with a number sticker from the Expressions Cardstock Stickers (#3503). I am trying to carry out the theme of using the same stickers throughout the album to mark the page days to make it a little more uniform. And on a side note - I can't believe how bit my boys have gotten. I swear it happened over night!

 The left page of this spread is the backside of the divided page protector with a few Fundamental Cardstock Stickers (#3502). I love these stickers for making quick and easy accents. The right side of the page is simply a sheet of vellum over my main photo. I printed my journaling on the vellum and embossed it to give it some added texture. I used the alphbets that came in the SN@P! Christmas sets and then added a bit of glitter glue for some sparkle! 

 The back of the vellum is just plain and the photo on the right becomes the base of another page.

 I covered the back of my tree photo with a sheet of red snowflake paper (#3517) and then used some scraps of December Documented for the accents. I love repurposing scraps and making them work for a current project! I used another divided page projector on the right side and even created a few of my own 3x4 cards for the pockets. I have no problem creating cards that fit my specific needs even if it means I cut up another pre-designed card in the process! Remember - this is YOUR album - create it to make you happy! I used both some of the chipboard (#3528) and more of the brads on the right side along with the Fundamental Stickers and the SN@P! Christmas sets! Mixing and matching is so fun! I swear I could create like this all day long!

And the best part? Not only am I caught up like I mentioned before, but I'm in love with this little album and I'm looking forward to updating it daily!

To see more December Daily albums using our SN@P! Binders, check out our December Daily Pinterest board -

 

Have a wonderful December and make sure you document it!  

 

Scrapping the Everyday with The Daily Grind

Hola Simple Stories fans! Allison L here today with a couple layouts I've been working on using Simples Stories' brand new Daily Grind line! As a single adult with grown children I don't tend to have a ton of excitement in my life. So, when I first saw this line, I thought it had been tailor made for me! I tore into it right away as it seemed like the perfect line to document my life as a doctoral student, which simply means that I sit around a lot and read and read and read.

 

I started with the Journaling Cards Elements sheet and found the perfect 3x4 for my journaling. I love the simple embellishment of the card, but also the roominess for journaling all that I wanted to say. I also love the deep walnut brown woodgrain, which seemed the perfect background for my photo. 

 

Next I used my punch to punch out the icons from the Day In Day Out sheet. I knew I wanted a banner and these were the perfect touch. I used the Sn@p alphabet stickers for my title. After I had it all laid out, I wanted to add some layers. Sometimes a 12x12 pattern is just too bold, and I love the scaled down versions of the prints in our 6x6 pads. So, I took the chevron and calendar tabbed patterns and layered them with my photo and background. 

 

A few finishing touches with some stickers, chipboard pieces, die cuts, and brads and I was done. 

 

Next I decided that this line was just what I needed for my next week in my Life Documented album. A few of the Sn@p Cards from the line, the die cuts, and a little chipboard and voila! One more week accomplished. 

 

To see more projects using Daily Grind, check out our Daily Grind Pinterest board

 

 I hope you've enjoyed getting a glimpse of my everyday life. Remember, life is filled with those everyday moments, so get out there and scrap them. 

To see more projects using Daily Grind, check out our Daily Grind Pinterest board

 

 

Products used:

Daily Grind

• Fundamental Cardstock Stickers
• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• 6x6 Paper Pad
• Ephemera
• Chipboard
• Brads
• Hello, New Day Patterned Paper
• Day In, Day Out Patterned Paper
• 3x4 Journaling Cards Elements Paper
• Yellow Chunky Chevron/Dots Patterned Paper
• Daily Grind Sn@p Cards
• Bingo Cards/Months Patterned Paper

Other Products Used:

• Say Cheese Expression Cardstock Stickers
• Harvest Lane Expression Cardstock Stickers
• Sn@p Stickers - Letters

SN@P! 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 SN@P! 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 SN@P! Pockets and December Documented 3x4 SNA@P! Cards.

This concept would also make a cute brag book for a new mom or grandma.  Add more SN@P! 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;; SN@P! Cards; SN@P! Christmas Set- Pockets; Stickers; SN@P! Color Vibe- 6X6 Paper Pad; SN@P! Embellishments- Stickers Letters; Stickers Typeset; Stickers Labels

Daily Grind & Spellbinders Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of our week with Spellbinders! Emily here with a fun little Daily Grind project to share today. 

I haven't always been a fan of using manual die cutting machines, but recently I have fallin in LOVE with Spellbinders! Their dies are amazing and they cut so perfectly! They even emboss!

 For my project today I used the Floral Doily Motifs

And my favorite, the Bitty Blossoms. 

 I created this fun mini album using Daily Grind. This collection is so much fun! The bright colors and the theme are perfect for every day photos. I plan to fill this mini with my Instagram photos. 

 As you can see, I used the Floral Doily Motifs for the central focal point, They are great for layering! 

I used the bitty blossoms to create my own flowers and leaves and  then added some other pre-made flowers to match.

To see more projects using our Daily Grind collection, check out our Daily Grind Pinterest board -

 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Products Used:
Simple Stories- Daily Grind: Collection Kit, Brads; Sn@p: Flair
Spellbinders- Bitty Blossoms, Floral Doily Motifs