Simple Stories

Simple Shapes Background

Repetitive shapes used to create a background are super trendy right now, but you don't need an electronic die cutting device to create the look. A simple punch in a fun shape can be used too! I created this hexagon background with a hexagon punch and the Simple Stories Say Cheese collection:

Using two punches of the same shape in slightly different sizes lets you turn your photos into fun shapes and your patterned papers into fun photo mattes. For these smaller shapes I use the 6 x 6 pad to include more of the design on each shape.

And if you do happen to have an electronic die cutting machine, you can create a mixed font title by using Simple Stories stickers and a large cut title. I use the Simple Basics collection to cut titles.

And to top it all off, a smattering of brads and chipboard scattered throughout creates a fun look!

So pull out those basic shapes punches and your Simple Stories collections to create fun backgrounds!

Supplies Used:

Siple Stories Say Cheese Collection:

Expression Cardstock Stickers #3303

6 x 6 Paper Pad #3322

Chipboard #3328

Brads #3327

12 x 12 Simple Basics Kit #3301

Christmas is only 17 weeks away!

Please don't hate me for saying it. But can you believe it?  I have to admit that I'm usually the last person to start thinking about Christmas and getting ready for the holidays. But, I'm hoping to get a head start on it this year and be a bit more organized.  (famous last words huh? LOL! :))

Plus I've already got a head start because I was able to create some holiday cards using the amazing new December Documented collection.  This release is absolutely gorgeous!

The first card I created is more on the traditional & classic side. I used the Red Snowflake/Chevron (Simple Basics) as the background base for my card. Then added a 3x4 journal card, large sticker, brad and some ribbon to complete the look.

My second card some of the Blue Snowflake/Chevron (Simple Basics) paper. I just love the combination of red & blue . It's so bright & cheerful.

The 3x4 Journaling Cards really add some visual interest & color the front of the card. I also added a few stickers for dimension (by adhering them with foam squares).

On the inside of the card I added a few more stickers.

My last card makes me smile. There are some super cute sayings & quotes on the 3x4 journal cards and I had to use one of them.

Hopefully I've inspired you a bit with your christmas card making for the upcoming holidays.

Supply list:

Simple Stories: December Documented 

Fundamental Cardstock Stickers |#3502

Expression Cardstock Stickers |#3503

Chipboard |#3528

Brads |#3527

Naughty or NIce |#3505

Special Delivery |#3504

Peace, Love & Joy |#3507

3x4 Journaling Card Elements |#3510

Simple Basics (Blue Snowflake/Chevron |#3516 AND Red Snowflake/Chevron |#3517

 

Other: May Arts (ribbon), The Twinery (twine), Fiskars (punches), Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L (Foam squares); Adhesives by Xyron (Mega Runner, 1.5 Create-a-Sticker)

Enjoy Today with I {heart} Summer

Have you been loving all the layouts using the I {heart} Summer line as much as I have? Well, all I can say is the moment this line arrived on my doorstep, I was looking for photos to scrap using it. These pictures taken the week my daughter and I moved to Flagstaff, AZ seemed fitting. You see, living in Phoenix for 20 years where temps stayed above 100 degrees for several months, I couldn't really say "I heart summer" with a straight face. But moving about 130 miles north meant temps in the 70's and 80's in AUGUST. Oh yeah.

Bright sun, flowered fields, blue skies, and wispy clouds epitomized our surroundings, and wait! These are just the elements of the I {heart} Summer line! A perfect pairing worth jumping for joy over, don't you think? 

I'm especially loving the little pocket elements and die cut pieces for fun layered touches. 

I typically prefer a bold title that stands out, but here I chose to use the smaller font alphas with this line to create a more simple title, similar to its simple message... just enjoy. 

And enjoy I did making this layout. The lace trim accents were courtesy of our friends at Petaloo and they couldn't match this line any better. I hope you are enjoying this line too! I know the whole DT is in love with it. 

I {heart} Summer Products Used:

• Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers
• Expressions Cardstock Stickers
• Chipboard Stickers
• Decorative Brads
• Feel the Breeze Paper
• Daydream Paper
• Snap Pockets
• Snap Cuts

Sweet Summer Memories

Hi there.  It's Cari with you today.

I love summer!  It means lots of family time with my kiddos.  And every year we go strawberry picking. They actually look forward to it.  So I decided to scrapbook some pictures of our 'picking' adventure from last summer.

This new Simple Stories release, I {Heart} Summer is amazing!!  When I was creating my projects for today I didn't want to stop ( ... the ideas just kept coming! So I've got a list for a few more projects. :))

My first layout "Sweet Summer Memories" uses quite a few items from this collection. I'm not a big double page creator.  But having a collection where everything goes together so nicely it makes creating pages that will be side-by-side in my albums so easy!

I turned one of the 4x6 Journaling cards on it's side and printed my journaling on it. I love all the embellishments that come with this collection so it was hard to decide what to use.

The chipboard & stickers embellishments are just so easy to use.  I love adding foam squares to some of the stickers, too, for added dimension.

One of my favorite designs in this new release is the chalkboard design.  It's such a hot thing right now and Simple Stories has got it right!

My second layout, "Hello Sunshine",  I kept the design simple to focus on the enlarged photo.  I love the various colored Boardwalk papers in this collection and chose to use the teal colored one for my page.

Again... adding the embellishmnets is so much fun and can really 'dress up' and finish a simple styled layout.

I used one of the border stickers along the right side of my page and kept all the punched out little holes and then used those as dots around my layout.

 Simple Stories has created another incredible collection and I hope that I've inspired you a bit with my layouts today.

Supplies used:

I HEART SUMMER COLLECTION

Fundamental Cardstock Stickers 12x12 |#3202

Expressions Cardstock Stickers |#3203

Chipboard Stickers |#3227

Layered Stickers |#3228

Flair Icons |#3229

3x4 Journaling Card Elements |#3210

4x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements |#3212

2x12 Border & 4x12 Strip Elements |#3214

6x12 Page Elements |#3215

Red Boardwalk/Ledger |#3217

Teal Boardwalk/Dotted Line Notebook |#3218

[email protected] Cuts |#3225

 

Other:

Core'dinations Colorcore Cardstock; EK Success (Border punch); Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L (foam squares)

Here Comes Summer!

The I {Heart} Summer line is so fabulous that I could not wait for the official start of summer to start using it! Fortunately for me, living in the southwest means summer weather comes early and my kids were in the pool over Easter weekend this year!

Do you ADORE all the new fun embellishments that the Simple Stories lines include? Like fun flair and brads...

If you don't have an electronic die cut machine, the die cut pages are fabulous to add the same type of look without the cost. The chipboard stickers add just enough dimension...Super cute stacked or Layered stickers offer even more dimension:

And all the fun usual suspects including alphas, element stickers, tape looking stickers and more. After including all those fun goodies, I ran out of room to journal so I did it along the edge of the scalloped sticker!

Isn't I {Heart} Summer such a fun line? Ican't wait to use this line for even more summer fun and activities!

Supplies Used:

I {Heart} Summer Collection--

12 x 12 Collection Kit #3200

Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers #3202

Expressions Cardstock Stickers #3203

Chipboard Stickers #3227

Decorative Brads #3226

Layered Stickers #3228

Flair Icons #3229

12 x 12 Simple Basics Kit #3224

[email protected] Pages #3222

 

A [email protected] Album Top Ten

Happy Spring, All! Ally here with a little bit of a different post today. As I've shared here previously, I'm using a [email protected] binder and various Simple Stories lines to complete my Week in Review album. Today I thought I'd share my top ten reasons why I love this combination so much. So, without further ado, here goes:

Reason #10

The colors - The colors of [email protected] make me happy and the happy hues keep my layouts feeling positive

Reason #9

I can mix colors and lines easily. Here I mixed a couple of pieces from the [email protected] line with the cork pattern from our 24-7 line. I love that I can just pull pieces together like that!

Reason #8

The patterns - There is such a variety of pattern and color in each Simple Stories line, and they also vary in size of print making them easy to put together. 

Reason #7

The variety of page protectors - I am free to mix and match. When I have too many photos, I can use the sheets with multiple 3x4 slots. Or, when I have too few pictures, I can just grab a double 4x6 sleeve.

Reason #6

The grid papers - 'nuf said.

Reason #5

All the different word and phrase stickers. I get good use of these as I'm always using them as little borders. 

Reason #4

Preprinted journaling cards that are easily embellished. Here I stamped the extra "noteworthy" as well as added the stickers. But I love that the "documented" is preprinted on the card. 

Reason #3

3x4 Bingo cards. These are so versatile and I can find one in just about any color or sentiment that I want/need!

Reason #2

Cards with preprinted folder tabs. I love these. They are the perfect accent to leave as is or dress up with stamps. 

Reason #1

And the number one reason I love [email protected] for my Week in Review work...

The alphas. You get all the colors and they are the perfect size for working on any type of mini album. 

So, there you have it... my top ten reasons for using [email protected] for my Week in Review! Are you using Simple Stories [email protected] supplies for your Project Life style albums? Follw me on IG @scrapally to continue seeing more of how I use Simple Stories to keep up to date on my Week in Review album.

 

{Simple} Fun!

Hi there!  Cari with you today.
I've got a couple of layouts to share with you and a fun little card as well.

As I was going through my photos I came across some of my boys and their cousin. I thought the colors went great with the 24/7 collection ... plus the theme of the whole collection was a good fit as well. I decided to create a more 'grid' style layout and cut various pieces of patterned paper forming 3 rows of paper and photos.

 I created the sombrero and #3 using my Cricut Expression 2, ....

... and used lots of fun stickers & chipboard embellishments from the 24/7 colleciton.

 

I then looked through my photos again and came across some pictures of my husband and boys playing in the pool while away on a mini summer vacation.  I decided to use Urban Traveler for this layout.

I love the rich colors in this collection and kept the circle theme throughout by cutting my photos into circular shapes as well.  (trust me ... this was no easy task as I haven't cut my photos up like that in a loooooong time! But I like how it turned out.)

I love the new embellishments (brads and layered stickers) as they add so much visual interest & texture to my projects.

I also created a little card using some of the 24/7 collection. (Love that little phone.)

Thanks for stopping by today.

 

Supplies used:

Urban Traveler

Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers |#2902

Expressions Cardstock Stickers |#2903

Decorative Brads |#2926

Layered Stickers |#2928

4x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements |#2912

Bingo Cards/Colored Arrow Dots |#2916

Navy Dots/Ledger |#2918

Orange Stripes/Map |#2921

 

24/7 Collection:

Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers |#3102

Expressions Cardstock Stickers |#3103

Chipboard Stickers |#3128

Decorative Brads |#3126

Layered Stickers |#3128

Take Note |#3105

3x4 Journaling Card Elements |#3110

Cork/Ephemera |#3117

Red Twee/Calendar |#3118

Blue Chevron/Grid |#3120

 

Simple 2 Pager

Confession time. I am terrified of 2 pagers. Years ago, when I started scrapbooking, I made them all the time, but since those beginning days I became so much more comfortable with single 12 x 12 pages. But, I had a bunch of birthday pictures that I wanted to use up and thought it was time to try one.

Simple Stories [email protected]! actually made it quite easy. [email protected] provides a rainbow of colors in the cutest patterns. Start with a mmixed font and color title, pop up some stickers on 3D adhesive...

use a combination of mini alphas, punched pattern paper and label to mark each photo and journal.

Add in a few extra word and tape stickers and strips of patterned paper on each edge to tie it all together.

And there you have it! Thank YOU Simple Stories for helping me get over my 2 pager fear!

Supplies Used:

[email protected] Stickers Icons #4018

[email protected] Stickers Labels #4019

[email protected] Stickers Typeset #4021

[email protected] Stickers Letters #4020

[email protected] LIfe Calendar Cardstock Stickers #2803

Teal Dot/Stripe #2826

Teal Chevron/Mini Dot #2827

Red Dot/Stripe #2828

Red Chevron/Mini Dot #2829

Yellow Dot/Stripe #2830

Yellow Chevron/Mini Dot #2831

Green Dot/Stripe #2832

Green Chevron/Mini Dot #2833

Orange Dot/Stripe #2834

Orange Chevron/Mini Dot #2835

 

 

 

 

It's {Simple} with Harvest Lane

I am so in love with this collection!
Harvest Lane just warms my heart with the rich colors and designs that it offers.

Today I'm going to share with you a layout that I created using this fabulous collection.

After begging my husband and kids to let me have a little family photo shoot they finally co-operated.  (but trust me ... it wasn't easy!)  Good thing I had a remote because everyone had a chance to play with it & that seemed to warm them up to the whole smiling idea for the camera!

Anyways, onto my layout.
I used the Homemade Happiness (#2607) patterned paper and matted it onto some wonderful Core'dinations cardstock. I then added some more layers of patterned paper using a 4x6 Journaling Card Element, a 2x12 Border, and a piece of Antique Dot paper. The layers create depth and colorful interest to the layout.

I added a banner by cutting out the little 'flags' from 4x6 Journaling Card Elements. I just adhered some twine behind each piece and then attached some threaded buttons as finishing touches.

The alphabet stickers help to create fun titles with different sized fonts and colors.

 

Plus the word strips stickers add some extra color and keep with the theme of my layout.
I also used a small journal card from the 6x6 paper pad. 

 

Here's a look at my finished layout.

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies used:

Harvest Lane Collection :

12x12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers #2602

12x12 Expression Cardstock Stickers #2603

Splendor #2606

4x6 Journaling Card Elements #2610

4x6 Journaling Card Elements #2611

2x12 Border & 4x12 Title Strip Elements #2614

Red Floral/Antique Dots #2618

Bingo Cards/Yellow Floral #2621

 

Simple Stories Flashback // "Awesome" Collection: The One

Hi All!!  Wendy here to take you back "ol' skool" to a much-loved collection released earlier by Simple Stories....the "Awesome" Collection!  This collection is simply & stylish perfection for those guys - young, old, and middle of the road (ha!) - in your life! Also, there are some coordinating stamps over at Unity Stamps for the Awesome collection here.

I love this collection even better with the addition of the 6x8 Mix & Match album pages.  I'm planning to work this first layout into creating an on-going 6x8 Mix & Match for my boyfriend, Enzo.  The great & simple style to these pages, make it workable and ready to go.

Plus, I've said it once, and again....Simple Stories just cross mixes well among collections!  

Here is my 6x8 layout using one of the 6x8 Mix & Match pages in the Awesome collection, layout titled "The One".

I used a banner border sticker from the sticker sheet in this collection for the top of the page.  Also, I added in some dimensional embellishing for texture and depth.

All lovers' of Washi tape! Well, Simple Stories has some stickers on the sticker sheet in this collection that resembles Washi tape.  Here I used the green houndstooth "Washi" sticker on the ticket stub.

Have you grabbed up some [email protected] yet?! Well, I'm in major fanatic love with the letter stickers!  

Here I mixed up the "tone on tone" letter stickers that match with the background paper.  All the proof here that the 2 collections match together - [email protected] + Awesome!

Talk about stretching your stash!! :)

Hope you enjoyed my Simple Stylish 6x8 layout!

You can grab up the Awesome collection + [email protected] (now available) over at 2 Peas here, here & here (for those [email protected] letter stickers). 

Simple Stories: Awesome Collection

This & That - 6x8 Journal Scrapbook Pages - Awesome Collection #2014

Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers - Awesome Collection #2202

[email protected] Colllection

[email protected] Letter Stickers #4020

Other: Wood Veneer Shapes - Studio Calico (banner shapes, man icon, stars, arrows), Metal Gears, Journaling Ticket - Advantus - Tim Holtz, Stamps - Studio Calico ("man, i love you"), Ink - Clearsnap Colorbox - Fluid Chalk Ink - Pumpkin Spice, Olive Pastel, Ink - Ranger - Archival Ink - Jet Black, Rubons - Jenni Bowlin