June 2014 Blog Posts

Hello Everyone! It's Kristine Davidson with you today for day 2 of the Designer Team Up with the Simple Stories & the Kerri Bradford Studio design teams.  Kerri's team will be working with our collections and we'll be working with her fabulous cut files.  We'll be doing some fun giveaways, sharing a discount code to Kerri's store and offering a freebie cut file, so keep reading and make sure to visit Kerri's blog as well as join us again here each day this week to parcitipate in the fun! 

I couldn't be more excited to be working with Kerri's cut files this month. I love Kerri's work and all her cut files are so fun and easy to use!  In my previous posts I shared with you that I would document 2012 and today I'm sharing the month of July 2012.  I still haven't been able to find any photos of 2012 so I'm very thankful that I have some photos on Instagram. If it wasn't that I really wouldn't have any photos of the year 2012 and I'm also glad this LIFE Documented series has allowed me to save some of those memories ;-)

I am still using the 6x8" album and I'm including all formats of pocket pages. I haven't limited myself to the standard 4 (3x4) but instead including 2x2, 4x6, etc. It makes my album that much more versatile and I'm not limited to the standard size photos - that works for me.

Left Side - I have 4 (3x4) photos. I used one of the 3x4 SN@P Cards to create my starting point for this month's spread. A photo of myself to see the changes in my wrinkles and hair color -- although I wear my sunglasses most of the time but still it's a selfie right?!  I cut 'july' from the Monthlies kit.
 

Right Side-  I have added mini 2x2 pictures to kind of showcase what my month of July was like in 2012. I love the mini format cause i can include so many small pictures that I really don't need to add in the corresponding pages.  I used the 07 from the Life Additions: Weeklies to reflect the month of the year, and it could even be 07 July - that works too!

I loved adding Kerri Bradford's Silhouette cuts in this months Life Documented Project. Kerri's online store has been my go to place for great silhouette cuts and I her classes on  how to use they cameo is fantastic!

Spending time with my nieces was a big part of my summer last year. I tried to visit as much as i could. We did lots of crafts, scrapbooking, painting and playing outside.  The Left Side has a 6x8 photo of my nieces in their paint shirts and large canvas that we created. I decided I wanted to add this 6x8 photo and cut it into small 2x2 pieces to fit behind the previous photo display. I love doing this to larger photos and it's a great way to add a " fun" photo of the girls.

The Right Side of my spread has another awesome Kerri Bradford file - Best Day from the Let's Go kit.   I added some journaling on a card and also added two more photos of the girls playing with paint. I still have this canvas that we created together - I have it hanging in my scrapbook room. It reminds me of how much fun we had that day !

 

Another weekend in July we took a day trip to one of our favorite places - St. Martins which is only 45 minutes away from our house. It is always nice to visit and explore the caves, the seafood, the wharf and yes the peace and quiet.  It's called ROAD TRIP! - I used Kerri's arrow cut files from the Need Directions kit on this page as well as the word Discover (from the Well Traveled kit) and the Love This overlay (from the Click kit) as a png image on top of my photo as a layer. I LOVE that feature of her png images.

This transparent layer can be done with any of Kerri's png images. I use an old program to create this effect on my photos but i know if you use photoshop you can certainly do this. Wanna know how ? visit Kerri's tutorial here on you tube.

My sister came to visit with her two kids for a weekend and we played with some fun photo props - HOT LIPS! They were a hit, even with my sister being included in the photo!

I sometimes have to bribe my nieces for photos so giving them a prop always makes this fun and a bit easier for me to take their picture. I added some journaling and larger 4x6 photos on the right hand side. I love these pictures of them, especially when Marissa had her braces!

 The Final Details -

I added a Kerri Bradford png image (Details from the Happy Stuff kit) image to my 4x6 journal card. I also used a typewriter font to add some thoughts on the months' activities and a few more memories.  This also has a beautiful picture of a sunset that happens almost nightly on the Kennebecasis River in our town. It's beautiful! I added nothing on top of this photo although I could have.

The Final Page of July 2012 has a 6x8 layout of me.  ( it was later in 2012 when I realized my husband should be part of my Life Documented spreads! I promise he's coming in the album soon! )

I created a small circle mat for my background from the Life Additions: Backgrounds kit and LOVE this! I will be doing this again in a larger format for sure. The title Me is also from the Well Traveled kit.

I'm using the 6x8 SN@P! faux leather album in black for my Life Documented 2012 album.  The sturdiness, metal corner accents, and stitch details are fantastic features to this album but I really like the fact that it's timeless and because they are so well built and will endure the many years to come.  This Sn@p! album is so far the best I've been using.

I used a variety of inserts for this monthly spread - in the 6x8" size featuring 2x2" , 3x4" to 4x6 and also a full 6x8. The Sn@p pocket pages come in a variety that you can add to your album. PERFECT for any project! 

Now for some fun!  This week we'll be giving 3 random lucky winners a $25 Spending Spree to Kerri's store

Hop on over to her site, check out what her design team did today with our products, then check out her store.  Come back and leave a comment here telling us what you saw and loved and you'll be entered in the giveaway.  Even better, when you find some things there that you just can't live without, you can save 15% off on orders over $20.  And hey, she's giving away some fun new Simple Stories product on her site as well, so head on over!

 

Supplies

Howdy!  Layle here with you today.  This week you're in store for a treat - we're doing a week long Designer Team Up with the Simple Stories & the Kerri Bradford Studio design teams.  Kerri's team will be working with our collections and we'll be working with her fabulous cut files.  We'll be doing some fun giveaways, sharing a discount code to Kerri's store and offering a freebie cut file, so keep reading and make sure to visit Kerri's blog as well as join me again here each day this week to parcitipate in the fun! 

I've known Kerri for many years and I have to tell you she is one of the kindest, sweetest, and most talented people you'll ever run across!  I've been working with her cut file designs for the last year or so and am smitten with them :)

So, without further adieu, Simple Stories design team member Nancy is kicking off this fun week today!

Hey Simple fans, Nancy here today with a look at our pretty, soft new release, Hello Baby paired with some intricate cuts from Kerri Bradford Studio.This collections pairs a gender neutral color scheme, wood grains and beautiful soft patterns. 

The intricate cuts by Kerri Bradford Studio add texture and movement to the design. This background is called scattered petals, included in Kerri's Basic Backgrounds shape set.

The staples and enamel dots placed on the shape cut, add more color and texture to the background design.

The beautiful title was cut out of vellum to accentuate the intricacy of the script font. This title can be found in Kerri's Something to Say set.

Pairing Kerri Bradford Studio and Hello Baby is a perfect way to tell your most precious stories!

Now for some fun!  This week we'll be giving 3 random lucky winners a $25 Spending Spree to Kerri's store

Hop on over to her site, check out what her design team did today with our products, then check out her store.  Come back and leave a comment here telling us what you saw and loved and you'll be entered in the giveaway.  Even better, when you find some things there that you just can't live without, you can save 15% off on orders over $20.  And hey, she's giving away some fun new Simple Stories product on her site as well, so head on over!

 

 

Supplies

Hello, everyone! Melissa here with you today to share a Life Documented layout using Simple Stories' Good Day Sunshine collection.

This layout uses photos from the first week of September in 2013, and, while September is the start of fall for many people, here in Alabama it is still most definitely blazing hot summertime weather. Luckily, blazing hot summer weather is my favorite, and Simple Storie's Good Day Sunshine was the perfect fit for the mood and feel of these pictures- from the woodgrains to the bright colors!

I used lots of the woodgrain print found throughout the collection on my layout as a second neutral to sit alongside the cream journaling cards. Since my photos include lots of brickwork from the exterior of our house and the butcher block island in our kitchen, the woodgrain helped to convey a home-y feel- perfect since most of the photos are of us keeping busy around the house.

You'll find a little pop of that woodgrain on my title card, too, where I used the woodgrain letter stickers to make my weekly title card.

The new Insta-Squares that Simple Stories has been making this year are some of my favorite pieces in the collections! I don't use Pocket Pages that have square pockets very often, but I still use these little guys a ton to create embellishments on my pages. Lately my favorite is to hang the square off the top or side and trim off the excess to create a feeling of movement on a page.

One of the best things about using a Simple Stories collection for a Life Documented layout is how quickly the coordinated products help you to put a page together! The designs and colors worked together almost effortlessly for me, and I was able to make this page in just under an hour- which is just about all the time I have to spare during the busy summer months!

Supplies

Hello everyone! Emily here today with a couple of projects to share from the oh-so-precious "Hello Baby" collection! When I first saw this collection, I immediately knew that this would be the one to use to scrap some of my daughters baby photos. She is now 6 years old, but you've got to start the baby book sooner or later, right? In my defense, I've been waiting for the perfect baby themed paper collection to come along. Finally, it has! 

I created this layout with a photo from my daughter's first birthday. I'm not usually a layout maker, but like I said, I love this collection! I couldn't wait to capture some of those moments from my daughter's early years in a layout. 

I also wanted to show that this collection can be used for more than just layouts and cards. So I created a fun little canvas. Wouldn't this be adorable in a nursery? I just love the soft colors in this collection!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies

Hey There!  It's Vicki dropping in with a fun project I created using Hello Baby and a few items from DIY

I was sorting through all of the new releases from Simple Stories looking for something quick and fun to make.  I love the colours and graphics of the Hello Baby line but didn't really have a specific baby themed project in mind.  So I decided to whip up a project that didn't necessarily have to be for a little one.

I created a 3x4 accordion book with some of the DIY- Office Card Foundations, Kraft Tags and Word Stickers and my favourite elements from Hello Baby.

To create the base I chose five 3x4 cards and laid them out side by side.  I used washi tape to bind the cards together.  Make sure to wrap the tape around the front and back.

The cover is decorated with a 2x2 Insta-Square that I created a banner flag from and I added a few stickers.

On the second page I layered a DIY Word Sticker with a Hello Baby Expressions sticker.  The third page is the back side of a 3x3 Insta-square the I used to create a pocket. I then layered a 2x2 square on top and added a sticker.

For page four I layered a kraft tag with some heartland a word banner from the Bits & Pieces set.  The last page is layered stickers.

Here is one last look at the little accordion book.  I am going to add some photos on the back of the pages and add it in a pocket in a mini book.  This would also be a great addition to a SN@P! pocket or it could be added to Photo Flip!.

Thanks for joining me today on the Simple Stories Blog!  I hope you make the time to create something too!

Hi there! Marie here with you today to kick off the summer months with a Life Documented spread using the new Good Day Sunshine collection.  This line is here just in time to help document all of those summer activities from beach days to road trips.

School doesn't even get out for 3 more weeks here but trust me, it already feels like summer.  The flip flops have come out and the top is off the Jeep.

I started off my spread by adding some bright, colorful enamel dots to the Hello Summer Card.  The dots match the colors of the card which I love!

I tend to make my pages monthly instead of weekly, so I added a June calendar with some coordinating stickers and chipboard.

The second page is a mix of different things we've been up to lately.  A slumber party for my daughter, a road trip, and I'm just now starting to get the garden put together.

Nothing goes better with summer than ice cream, and once again I used the new enamel dots on a 4x6 card.  These enamels dots are my new favorite thing, I'm using them everywhere.

I placed a lot of stickers from this collection straight on top of my photos.  I think it adds a nice pop of color and a fun element to the pictures.

I hope you've enjoyed taking a peek at my first Life Documented spread of the summer.  Thanks for joining me today!!

Hello! Teri here today, and I'm here with another Life Documented project. I'm pumped to share with you a few pages I made with the Good Day Sunshine collection.

I recently went to Utah for the annual Editorial Board meeting for Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine. I'm one of the magazine's Go-to Gals. Once a year, me and the other Go-to Gals go to Utah to meet with the editors to review the last year's worth of issues and brainstorm ideas for the next year's worth of publications.

Good Day Sunshine was the perfect collection to use to document my adventure because it's just such a fun, happy collection! Even though the purpose of my trip was business, there was a lot of fun involved. We got to explore Park City, visit some scrapbooking businesses and even spend some time crafting together. Plus we got to spend a lot of time hanging out with each other, which was the best part! 

One of my favorite elements on this page is the Smile SN@P! card. I used my trusty, old-fashioned typewriter to type "(You are in Utah!)" on a strip of cardstock and cover up the "It's Summer" phrase that appears under the Smile word. I also added a brad, a few stickers and some enamel dots.

I also dig this pocket. I started out with a 4x6 SN@P! card and then added 3x4 card on top of it with some typed words about the trip. The left side features a few random bits and pieces from the Good Day Sunshine collection that I clustered together.

All the pictures on these page just make me smile! Such good, happy memories.

I love the "Hello Super Fun" pocket! I die-cut the "super" circle using this Silhouette cut file; to make the banner die-cut pop, I tied some floss around it and adhered it to the 4x6 SN@P! card with foam tape.

I also altered this SN@P! card. I used a chipboard heart and enamel dots. One of the things I love about the SN@P! cards is that you can use them as they come or you can sauce them up and really make them your own by adding a few embellishments to them. 

By the way, I'm using a 12x12 SN@P! faux leather album in red to document all my 2014 adventures in. I often scrapbook out of order so I dig that the album's ring binding allows me to do that. I used the SN@P! Pocket Pages Design 3 and 6 for these pages. It's nice that Simple Stories offers so many different styles of pages. I enjoy having creative options!

Thanks for stopping by today. I will see you again soon!

Supplies

Hello, friends.. Shellye here with you today!  After putting away my Spring wreaths this past week, I decided that I was in need of a new Summery wreath for our carport entry.  The idea of a pinwheel wreath caught my attention while visiting Pinterest, so I went from there!  You can use any type of wreath: straw, stryofoam, grapevine, etc. 

I kept this very simple by using sheets from the "Good Day Sunshine" 6X6 Paper Pad.  You can also cut your favorite 12X12 sheets to 6X6 size.  I've used a total of ten 6X6 sheets for this project.

Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line from one end to the opposite end and then repeat with the other side so that you have an "X" over the paper.  Next, I traced a small 1" circle around the center of the "X"...this gave me a guide of how far to cut the lines.

Using scissors or a paper trimmer, cut along each line up to the circle.  Next, use a 1/8" hole punch, make a hole at the RIGHT hand corner of each triangular flap.  Punch a hole at the center of the "X". 

Insert a large brad through each of the flap's holes and then through the center. 

I attached my pinwheels to a 14" grapevine wreath.  I wrapped a piece of thin gauged wire around (the backside of the pinwheel) the brad's prongs and then gave a good twist.  Thread the wire ends through the grapevine and twist together at the back of the wreath.

I also wanted a focal point to the wreath, so I covered a piece of scalloped chipboard and decorated with some pieces from the "Good Day Sunshine" Collection.

Make smaller pinwheels, larger pinwheels or a mix of both!  There are so many ideas for making these fun wreaths.  And because I work in Labor & Delivery, I also thought this design would be so cute as a "welcome baby" door hanger made with the new "Hello Baby" Collection :)

Thank you for visiting us at Simple Stories!

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