Simple Stories

Simple Stories & Petaloo Design Team-Up Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 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!

Donna here with you today as your host. Seeing as tomorrow is Valentine's Day I thought I would share a few very easy but pretty cards and tags featuring Homespun and Petaloo flowers. The Homespun collection is all about family which made it a perfect fit for these projects.

I wanted to keep these designs simple. First, to save time - there is still time to create something beautiful and handmade for someone you love! Secondly, the papers of Homepsun and the flowers from Petaloo are so pretty they stand on their own, and work together beautifully.

I took inspiration from this paper to create my first card:

I wanted to re-create the reddish-pink flower with the blue center using the Petaloo blossoms.

 Here is a closer look:

Next, I used one of the delicate mini blossoms as the center of a butterfly.

The sentiment is embossed with gold metallic powder; it's a bit easier to see the sheen in this close-up:

The smaller pockets from the new DIY Collection are the perfect size to hold gift cards,

which makes them such an easy way to share a gift with someone you love. I made two card holders embellished simply with two smaller Petaloo blossoms along with papers and brads from Homespun:

Finally, this tag features simple layers and a simple sentiment; it will be the perfect finishing touch to a gift.

As always, thank you for stopping 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)

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

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)

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

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)

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

Simple Stories Homespun Collection

• Expression Cardstock Stickers
• 6x6 Paper Pad
• Brads
• Yellow Dots

Simple Stories DIY

• Pocket Foundations - Office

Petaloo Products

• The Penny Lane Collection Forget Me Nots (Robin Egg Blue)
• Botanica Collection Minis (Cranberry/Amber/Green)
• Botanica Collection Blooms (Red)

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! 

It's A Charmed Life!

 

Good Morning! Emily here with a project from the BRAND NEW "A Charmed Life" collection. When I saw this one, I was immediately in love. I know, I know, I say that about EVERY new Simple Stories collection, but this one is something really unique. The colors are so rich and beautiful, right up my alley! 

Over the past year, I have fallen in love with creating tags. I don't use them in the normal way that most use a tag though. I tend to add photos or quotes and use them as home decor. Well... mainly craft room decor. I'm not big on making layouts (simply because the large canvas scares me!) so I found a new way to display my photos! 

I used a photo of my sweetie and I from this past summer. It fit perfectly in the little frame that came with the "Bits & Pieces" Ephemra pack from this collection which I also LOVE! So many fun little pretty pieces in there! 

I finished my little tag off with some fun ribbons & trims and some Chipboard Stickers from this collection. 

I hope that I have inspired you to take tags to a whole new level! They can be used for more than just a "tag!"

Products Used:
A Charmed Life-
#3700 Collection Kit
#3728 Chipboard Stickers
#3729 Bits & Pieces Ephemra
May Arts Ribbons
Maya Road Trim
Petaloo Flowers

I {Heart} Summer Tags

Recently, I received a box full of I {Heart} Summer goodies and could not wait to dive in! I'm so excited to be posting this project today! Being Memorial Day weekend, it also marks the "unofficial" kickoff to Summer. That makes me incredibly happy! That means LOTS of fun colorful photos to come to pair up with this beautiful paper collection! 

I decided to make some tags for my project today. I love tags, but I never know what to do with them. Sure, you can attach them to a gift, but I think sometimes they are too fancy to attach to a gift and should be used as a stand out gift themselves. With the [email protected]! Pockets, I was able to make this happen! I turned my tags into little card/gift card holders! 

I added some fun trims & summer stickers to make these tags really stand out. 

Wouldn't you love to receive one of these this summer with a fun gift card attached? I think they are perfect little gift ideas to have on hand for sure! 

Products Used:
I {Heart} Summer
#3202 Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers
#3203 Expressions Cardstock Stickers
#3204 Sunshine & Laughter
#3209 Hello Summer
#3221 Bingo Cards/Summer Stripe 
#3223 [email protected] Pockets! 

[email protected] Spring Pages and Vintage Tags

Now that February is coming to an end, it's time to make plans for a festive spring.  Easter will be here before you know it and that anticipated egg hunt is on the horizon.  The [email protected] Life collection is such a great palette for everyday events AND special occasions like Easter.  I love how the bright colors enhanced this fun photo of my daughter collecting Easter eggs.

I used the [email protected] 6x6 paper pad to cut all of these little banners and then added the days of the week stickers with some foam tape to make them pop.  It's such a fun design element and compliments the single 5 x 7 photo.

I LOVE this sentiment!  Perfect for the expression on my daughter's face and really ties all of the little banners together with the title Hello Happy.

Added some twine, clear cut shapes and chipboard to finish off the look.

 

AND...check out the new Spring Issue of Scrapbooking and Beyond Magazine for more fun spring layouts.  It hits the newsstand on February 24th.

These tags were made from the NEW Vintage Bliss collection.  I love the weathered wood patterned paper as the background and chose elements to compliment the look.

 

Hope you have a crafty weekend!

 

Make Christmas Tags - Check!

It's that time again.  Time to make that Christmas to-do list and start checking things off. Now I know that it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I try to get as much planned out and accomplished early so that I can enjoy the Christmas celebrations without last minute stress! 

Before I jump into my project, I want to give you a glimplse into my Christmas decorations. 

I know this photo is more focused on my daughter and I, but I think you can get a feel for what our homestyle Christmas looks like.  Rustic, homemade ornaments with a warm, homespun feel to them.  This carries over into our presents also.  Everything is wrapped to match with basic kraft paper, twine and homemade tags.  The Christmas lines from Simple Stories fit the bill perfectly. Last year, I used the 25 Days of Christmas for my gift tags.  This year I was able to cross off "create Christmas tags" with the help from the fabulous Handmade Holiday Collection!

I create over 40 tags and I do it in an assembly line fashion.  Simple Stories makes this so easy....with everything coordinating perfectly!  This year I added in some paint and a star stencil and had them all completed within a couple of hours!

I used my Cricut to cut out the first initial of everyone on my gift list and then added some distressing ink to help coordinate them with the papers. Each one contains a holiday word sticker from the cardstock sticker sheet.

So one thing off my to-do list!  It feels great to have these all created and ready to go! Now, all I have to do is get all the presents!  That is going to be the hard part!

A [email protected]! Happy Monday!

[email protected] Tags and a Layout!

 

Happy Monday morning all...Guiseppa here to share with you a couple of projects I made with [email protected]!  I recently got these fabulous [email protected] goodies delivered to my doorstep and I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  This collection is even better in person.  I know the collection should be available in stores rally soon and I can guarantee it's gonna change the scrappy world...FOREVER!  So, run...not walk and pick [email protected] up right away cause it will fly off the shelves.

 

I wanted to show a little  bit of the diversity  that [email protected] has to offer.  It is great for speed scrapping, but you can create anything you want with it.  First off, I made this fun little tags, perfect to add to a little gift for a friend, loved one or family member.

These came together so easily and that is what [email protected] is intended to do...make your projects come together quickly.  Lastly, here is a layout too.  Look how awesome [email protected] works in creating 12x12 layouts!

Fun right?  I have got to put a plug in for my dear friends at Adornit.  They make these really cute wood embellishments you see on my layout.  They worked perfectly on this project and look so cute with [email protected]!

Thanks for stopping by and we can't wait to see what you create using [email protected]  You can share your projects with us on Simple Stories Facebook Page :)

 

Simple Stories Supplies Used:

[email protected] Green/Elementary Notebook #2819

[email protected] Calendar #2808

[email protected] Yellow Cheveron /Mini Dot #2824

[email protected] Color Vibe 6x6 Paper Pad #2824

[email protected] Polaroids #2805

[email protected] Sticker Labels #4019

[email protected] Fundamental Cardstock Sticker #2802

[email protected] Sticker Icons #4018

[email protected] Just the Basics 6x6 Paper Pad

[email protected] 3x4 Cards- Snappy Days #4008

[email protected] Stickers Typeset #4021

[email protected] 3x4 Cards Snappy Thoughts #4007

[email protected] 3x4 Cards Snappy Sayings #4006

 

 

 

{Simple} Fall Greetings

Hello there! Donna here, your host for the blog today sharing a few cards and tags I made using Harvest Lane.  Living in Southern California we don't get a drastic change in weather this time of year.  The change of the season is much more gradual.

Regardless, fall is my favorite season, and I like to take some time at the beginning each new season to make a few cards for whatever occasions might arise.

Can I tell you how happy I was when I found out that Simple Stories had created a fall collection?  I knew it would be perfection, and I was right.

I had so much fun creating these cards... the patterns and colors, everything about Harvest Lane just makes me happy.

Sometimes when I'm making a set of cards or tags, I like to make one and then create something else that is just a slight variation on that same design.  As you can see in one of the tags below.

Perhaps now is a good time to mention how much I love metallic embossing powder?  And doilies.  And butterflies.

I wanted to keep the design of the tags simple and delicate.

That teal dot paper, one of my favorites.  But really, I don't think I could choose... I adore this whole collection, and I'm looking forward to using it to record our fall memories.  What I've shared with you today is just the start!

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and wherever you are, Happy Fall!

Products used from Harvest Lane:

Collection Kit #2600

Simple Basics Kit #2624

6 x 6 Paper Pad #2601

12 x 12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers #2624

Vertical Journal Cards Elements #2612

Teal Dot/ Ledger #2617

Yellow Quilt/ Notebook #2619

Green Stitches/ Grid #2620

Bingo Cards/ Yellow Floral #2621

 

Uncle Sam Gets Summer Fresh!

Happy Monday, Simple Stories fans!  Shellye here today with two projects that I had such a fun time making with {Summer Fresh}. 

First up is Uncle-Sam-Gets-A-Summer-Makeover! I love decorating my home in an Americana theme during the Summer...yep, it's all decked out in red,white and blue...from the front door to the back door and several spots in between.  I wanted something  patriotic to grace the end table in our living room; this decoration is perfect!

I found this adorable SVG file for Uncle Sam's hat at www.svgcuts.com.  When I spotted it, I knew that {Summer Fresh} would look so good on it!  It may look complicated, but it was actually very simple to put together.

I wanted to include a nice vertical element, so I added the three scalloped circles embellished with {Summer Fresh} patterned papers, cardstock stickers and adhesive pearls from my stash.  I used bamboo skewers and attached them to the back of the hat with a quick dry glue (or a glue gun would work nicely).

Supplies:

{Summer Fresh}

#2402 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers

#2403 Expression Cardstock Stickers

#2408 Easy Breezy Patterned Paper

#2416 Denim/Grid Basics Paper

#2417 Red Flower/Honeycomb Ledger Basics Paper

My daughter is having a Swimming Party this month and of course when you're a papercrafter, people expect a handmade invitation... {Summer Fresh} was ideal for this!

I've used one of the medium-sized Memorabilia Pockets for this sample, but having all of the invitations look different in size and design would be a nice change-up.  A bubble mailer comes in very handy when you get ready to mail these too!

I cut a sheet of {Summer Fresh} patterned paper just a little bit larger than the pocket.  On the front, I embellished the wagon with Prima flowers and adhesive pearls. 

 Supplies:

{Summer Fresh}

#2402 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers

#2403 Expression Cardstock Stickers

#2016 Memorabilia Pockets

#2405 Country Garden Patterned Paper

#2408 Easy Breezy Patterned Paper

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Glad you've stopped by to visit Simple Stories today!

See y'all soon

Countdown to Christmas w/ Simple Stories & Maya Road

 

 

Hiya Simple Stories fan!!  Wendy back with my FINALE take on my December Daily using Simple Stories & Maya Road!!

Seriously, I can't believe I did it!  Always had the ultimate intention to complete it out but would start, get frustrated, get behind, and with my recent printer issues FINALLY made it happen for this December Daily. So, I'm super pleased to complete it out (with the exception of a few days left - 22 - 25 - to round out the 25 days) but all in all, DONE-zo! :)  I still have my bits & pieces of journaling to do on the pages but the pictures will help with all that & I have my notes jotted down too to go back & add it in.

So, I have a TON of pics of it all to share up so kick back, grab a cup of cocoa, and enjoy lots of eye candy & details because I don't wanna' skip a beat in showing you all the fun-ness (not sure if that word is legit) but hope you enjoy it.  Also, pleasure share with us in the comments to this post a link to your December Daily so we can check it out! ;-)

Oh, on a side note, since I had printer issues with my initial post here.  I'll re-share up those pages FIRST and so all flows down to the current to date.  I'll pop in a bit here & there in the post to share up some tidbits with ya.  Alrightee? ;-)  Also, be sure to check out the supply list at the end of this post with LOTS of Simple Stories & the specific pieces I used from these collections; as well as all the fab fab Maya Road stash too. 

Here we gooooo....

Check out the transparency filmstrip! FUN stuff, eh?  That would be some Maya Road love! I layered some stamping under the transparency along with the perfet ticket stub stickers from 25 Days of Christmas.  

I LOVE these mini alpha stickers from Year.o.graphy. 3 colors choices come on the sticker sheet.LOTS of options!

Here I clipped random bits & pieces from Year.o.graphy as well as layering some Maya Road ribbon, and bling paper.

 

I think this is my favorite page so far in the Daily.  I buckle in the knees over these resin flowers from Maya Road. to.die.for....just sayin'.  I accented further with punched out circles from scraps of 25 Days of Christmas. 

Sweet birthday card I made for the lovely Stephanie Hunt.

I simply love my 2 favorite lotions from Victoria's Secret - Sheer Love & Lost in Fantasy - they smell heavenlyyyyyy.

LOVE my creative chaos?  I create on a messy desk that inspires me with lots of my favorites but the daily life is super organized, weird, eh?  

Here I baked Milky Way Deep Dish Cookies found over at Pinterest for my sister and Brown Sugar Pound Cake for my mom.  Easily devoured! (I'm thinking that's a good sign) :)

LOVE these chipboard silhouettes from Maya Road.  They were raw chipboard & I painted them with acrylic paint.

I'm all about a fun chipboard alpha and these are from Maya Road too and I painted with acryic paint.

There are so many fun elements to Year.o.graphy - checklists, etc.  FUN!

Here I took a restaurant menu from the take out counter and wanted to add it into my album.  I covered one of the Maya Road chipboard album pages with the restaurant menu as my background paper.  I even cut out the header above the pics from the front page of the paper menu.  

In dedication to my dad on passed away from cancer 6 years ago, Dec 20, 2005.  

I'm kinda' addicted to the wildberry smoothies from McDonald's. :)

And a splash of 25 Days of Christmas on the 24th & 25th - love this collection too!

Check back later today/tomorrow & I will update this post with the FULL supply list of my December Daily album including the Simple Stories collections & all the fab fab Maya Road stash too.

This Daily has been so fun & keeping me accountable in documenting in pics the bits & pieces into my daily grind.  Also, fun selfies (aka self portraits) were lots of fun too.  

Hope you enjoyed a peep into my world! :)

Hope you ALL have a super WONDERFUL & SAFE holiday with family & friends!!

 So, tell me, are you almost at the finish line with your Daily albums? 

(and yes, I actually read the comments & LOVE hearing what you have going on). :)

Simple Stories + Maya Road Supplies - 

(you can click on the images below to link direct to shop)

InLinkz.com

Other Supplies -

Paper - My Minds Eye, Jenni Bowlin, Echo Park

Glitter Cardstock - Recollections, The Paper Studio

Chipboard/Cardstock Stickers - Studio Calico, American Crafts, The Dusty Attic

Adhesive Glitter Foam Sheet - Local Craft Store
Index Card - 7 Gypsies

Letter & Number Stickers - American Crafts - Thickers

Glitter Alphabet - Recollections

Car & Suitcase Embellishment - Martha Stewart

Wood Banner - My Minds Eye

Mini Cookie Cutters - Source Unknown

Rubons - Basic Grey

Tapes - K&Co - Smash, Advantus - Tim Holtz

Paper Tabs - K&Co - Smash

Stickers - October Afternoon, Fontwerks

Mister Huey Mist - Studio Calico - Calico White

Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels

Color Wash - Ranger - Adirondack - Red Pepper

Ink - Ranger - Archival Ink - Jet Black, Stampin Up! - Real Red, Ranger - Jenni Bowlin, Tsukineko - Staz On

Mix’d Media Inx - Clearsnap - Donna Salazar Designs

Acrylic Paint - Liquitex

Stamps - Technique Tuesday, Prima, Stampington, Stampers Anonymous, Little Daisy Bucket, Collage Press, Stampin’ Up!, Creative Imaginations, Sausan Designs

ATC Mixed Media Cards - Crescent

Tiny Attacher & Staples - Advantus - Tim Holtz

Punches - Fiskars

Page Protectors - Baseball Card Holders - Local Craft Store

Adhesives - Ranger - Glue N’ Seal - Matte

Pen - Faber Castell - Pitt Pen

Pop Dots

A Very Simple Christmas

We have had so much fun sharing our fun holiday inspired ideas from our home to yours this week, and hope you have enjoyed seeing them.  Take a peek below for some of the fun ideas that are included in our jam packed holiday idea guide for this Christmas season, or simply Click here or the above image to download your own copy.  Don't forget to leave a comment on our blog posts this week for your chance to win a 25 Days of Christmas collection kit.  Comments will close Saturday at midnight and the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.Don't forget to leave us a comment for your chance to win one of our 25 Days of Christmas collection kits.  All comments will close Saturday at midnight, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

Have a great weekend friends!