Hey Friends, Rebecca Larson (IG: digiscrapbec) here to share a couple projects using the latest digital kits added to the shop. First up a layout I created using the Legacy Digital  Collection. I was instantly drawn to the wood plank paper, and the vintage cards. I knew it would be perfect to highlight a photo of me and my sons, taken this summer in Glacier National Park. After downloading the content, I knew that I wanted to use this card in some way.

I love the texture, and the scratches that make it look like a classic relic.

In Photoshop, I merged the photo. Then using different blending modes, and the healing brush, I was able to combine the picture with the yummy grain, and texture of the photo.

I then used some of the cards, and elements from the kit to give the layout a well rounded theme, yet rustic and woodsy.

My second project seemed to come together on accident. I created it on my SMART PHONE!!

On a drive to visit family, I realized that I didn’t have a card to go with a gift I had purchased for my husband’s birthday. I had previously imported the Hey POP! Simple Set into my Drop Box account to be able to use it between my devices (computer, ipad and smart phone).

First, using a collage app on my phone, I pulled the cards from Drop Box and added them, and the photos I had accessible on Facebook, to the collage.

I then imported the collage into an app that allows you to add text to your photo. I added Happy Birthday Dan, and then emailed it to myself.

When I got to a computer, I opened it in Photoshop, changed the image size to 4x4 and printed and mounted it to some heavy cardstock. Super quick, and easy! All from the palm of my hand!

Thank you for stopping by!

Join us this week on the blog as we celebrate all things LOVE!  If you're in the mood for love, our pint sized Hugs & Kisses Simple Set is just what you need!

Have you used our Simple Sets?  They're mini, themed collections, including four double sided 12x12 papers, two 12x12 Element Papers, and two 6x12 sticker sheets.

In house designer Sue Kendall created a fun class using just the Hugs & Kisses Simple Set, Enamel Dots and two pocket pages.  Check with your favorite local or online retailer to see if they have it available!

On this first 12x12 layout, Sue used the Love Letter Designer Cardstock, then adhered photos over several of the 'stamps'.  Adding stickers with foam adhesive brings some extra dimenion and pop to the layout!

This 2nd layout uses an additional photo from the same photo shoot of this lovely couple.  Using similar photos across 2 different layouts lends continuity, so you can use the layouts together as a two page spread, or keep them separate.

Sue also created this 2 page pocket page spread using our 4x6 Vertical/3x4 Horizontal and 4x6 Horizontal/3x4 Vertical Pocket Pages.  This is a great way to scrap additional photos from a special event or photo shoot, without having to create additional 12x12 layouts!

Hi everyone, it's Amy here today to share a layout with you I created using the new Say Cheese II line.  I love that although it's a themed line, it's versatile enough to use for some every day projects, too. Of course I love it all, but I just adore the fun pieces in the Bits and Pieces package!

Here are some closeups. I used some of the Simple Stories Silhouette cut files, which you can find here, to create my title.

I love using the adorable new Chipboard Frames for my journaling.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today!!

Hi everybody, Mindi here with you today. I am excited to be sharing a few pocket pages using the brand new Enchanted collection! I have been slowly making my way through our last Disney trip back in 2012. When I saw this new line I was so grateful that I had not tried to tackle my princess pictures yet. Because the colors in the Enchanted line are simply perfect, and you throw in the hint of silver ! Amazing. 

Here is a look at what both pages look like together. 

A few close ups from the first page. 

One of the things I was looking forward to using were the photo overlays. I used the Disney Castle overlay as part of my title card. On the other side of the title card I cut out the pink label from one of the 4x6 cards and printed out my title on there. Finished it off with some personal touches and called it done. 

New this year are the Chipboard Frames. I used it here as a frame around my girls Brave doll. 

I made a fun filler card using a few pieces of the new washi tape on the side. I really had fun using the washi tape. The size is perfect. I also added a photo overlay over the photo. 

A close up of the right side. 

This MAGIC card might have been my favorite! I added a strip of the washi tape on the bottom and also added the fairy wand chipboard piece to personalize it. So fun ! 

One last close up. 

This collection is jam packed with great colors, wonderful embellishments, that I can't wait to create with it again. I can see it being used for much more than princess pictures ! 

Thanks for stopping by everyone. 

Hi friends!   Vicki here with you today to share a layout I created using the new I AM... collection.

One of the things I love the most about this collection is that it inspires me to tell MY story.  The vast majority of the scrapbooking that I do is about someone else - my kids, my husband, my family, my friends - you name it!  Everyone else BUT me.  The I AM...  collection really resonated with me in that it prompted me to step back and really think about how important it is for me to tell MY story.

Between the gold foil accents, the beautiful, feminine colors & patterns and the prompts, the I AM...  collection is the the perfect collection to tell the most important story you have to tell... yours.

Hi everyone! Allison here with a layout using the lovely Hugs & Kisses collection. I've also got a new sketch to share with you that combines traditional scrapbooking with the SN@P! Pocket Pages.

You can download the full sketch with measurements and placements here.

The left side of the sketch follows a more traditional style of layout design while the right side uses the SN@P! Pocket Page, Design 3.

Here is my layout based on the sketch.

Valentine's Day in our house is usually a day full of fun activities. We have to make Valentine's for Drew and Jackson to hand out a school. We always have a heart themed breakfast like heart shaped strawberry muffins or heart shaped red velvet pancakes and our own special "love potion" to drink. There are balloons and candy and lost of hugs and kisses and even a heart scavenger hunt. We usually end the day with a visit to see family which usually involves lots more balloons, candy, hugs, and kisses. It's definitely a day to document!

I love how the Hugs & Kisses collection has the traditional Valentine's Day colors mixed with the blues and black and white. Those colors made it easy to take something more feminine like hearts and flowers and use them with boy heavy photos.

For the background of the left page I cut out several hearts from the Heartthrob 12x12 Designer Cardstock. I love the variety of colors and patterns! I use hearts often and if you were to visit my house you would see them everywhere. When I first saw the Heartthrob paper, I knew we would be pals!

I added a few small details to some of the hearts like arrows, stickers, smaller hearts, and even small photos. The arrows are cut from the Love Letter Designer Cardstock. I also used some foam adhesive to make a few of the hearts stand out and give some more dimension to the layout.

For the title I used the "love" stickers and added the "Happy Valentine's Day" banner at the bottom.

On the right page I used a combination of cards and photos with the SN@P! Pocket Page, Design 3.

I always enjoy adding small details to the empty spaces of my photos. On this photo I added a small xoxo sticker the bottom corner and added a small circle/heart to one of the "o"s.

For the 3x4" pockets I used photos for three of the pockets for photos and then used a 3x4" card in one pocket. I added a small photo and heart embellishment to the card. The heart embellishment is actually cut from one of the 4x3 cards on the Elements #2 sheet.

On the bottom card I added a small photo to one of the hanging frames. I also added some small heart stickers to the wire the frames are hanging from.

I hope you enjoy using the new sketch and have fun playing with the super cute Hugs & Kisses collection!

 

 

Hello!  This is Amber, founder and creative director of Simple Stories.  I'm thrilled to start a new 'behind the scenes' monthly feature on our blog about my vision, our design,  product development & glimpses of how I'm using our products. 

It was 5 years ago when we introduced our Simple Stories products and philosophy with our first collection, Life Documented.   In celebration of 5 years of sharing stories 'simply' we've brought Life Documented back, better than ever.  Just like our first launch, this Life Documented collection is all about sharing your story for the year simply, easily and with lots of fun!   We introduced a ton of scrapbook products with the new Life Documented collection, and a Planner component as well.  Today I'm focusing on our amazing planner portion of the collection.

I've always been a planner fanatic - even way back when, before it was cool.  After spending lot’s of $$ on many different planners and sizes over the years, I was never truly happy with the final results- even with some of the big names and trendy designs.  Whether it was too generic, too detailed, too small, too big, too restrictive, too complicated, too limited – nothing seemed to fit my life and what I was looking for in a planner.  

For me, the perfect planner had to be big enough and with just enough space needed for day-to-day planning.  I didn’t want it to be limited to an 'off-the-shelf', 'one-size-fits-all' planner; I wanted options to personalize my album, but not so many options that it became complicated or overwhelming.  It had to offer complete functionality and choices - from full size daily inserts, to weekly pages and monthly calendars, to notes, lists, journals and menus - however I wanted to plan my life.  Of course, it had to be fun and bright with just enough creativity to keep me excited about planning my day-to-day.  Most importantly, I wanted something that covered all the facets of my life -  work, business, home, family, personal and even my memory keeping hobby.

This entire 'planner' program has been a long time in the making for us …from the minute I held the first sample of our 6x8 Faux Leather Albums, I was in love and couldn’t wait to develop a planner system to compliment them.  From start to finish, this collection was so well thought out - down to every last detail - and I can't wait to share the 'behind the scenes' with you on how I've approached setting up my planner!

GETTING STARTED

It's so easy to start - just choose your favorite 6x8 SN@P! album or binder, including faux leather, chipboard and burlap.  I'm using our Teal 6x8 Faux Leather SN@P! Album - I LOVE the color & it matches my handbag perfectly...plus the high-quality album is simply gorgeous with contrast stitching, decorative metal label on the spine and metal corners. 

Next...select from many of the a la carte SN@P! Life Documented Planner Products - from Monthly, Weekly, & Daily Inserts to Clips, Sticky Notes, Bookmarks, Pockets, etc.  Last comes the FUN part - compiling your planner for day-to-day use...here's how I put mine together:

HELLO MY NAME IS...

Every good planner needs a basic information page, so the Monthly Dividers includes one with a cute label and icons for you to store all your personal details.  I wanted to add even more fun to my intro page so I added fun "hello" and arrow stickers to dress it up. 

*TIP:  We added plenty of space to add all of your personal details, including name, address, phone numbers and even space for you website or blog.  

I chose to start my planner with one of our cool Pockets - they come pre-punched and insert easily.  The front has a cool pocket to easily story random, everyday tidbits.  I added a 3x4 card to the back of the pocket from our 2015 SN@P! Card Set with a piece of Washi Paper Tape - a perfect quote to start the year & it coordinates with our very cool 12/52/365 dashboard on the next page (also included in the Monthly Dividers).

*TIP - I LOVE that our planner system is so versatile - you can put theses pockets anywhere you want, depending on what makes sense for you & your needs.  I love that freedom and flexibility - and you will too!

MAKE THIS YEAR GREAT!

There are so many things I love about our planners - but this has to be one of my favorite.  This interactive, fold out insert, included in the Monthly Dividers, lets you plan and view your whole year at a glance!  I love the quote on the front and added a few more details with stickers.  When opening you can see how easy it is to jot down the big, important things to look forward to with your year.

*TIP:  I chose to focus on just the big events of the year - not the everyday details - like holidays, events, travel, vacations, etc. This has been a great tool for getting a quick glance at what your year looks like.  And who can resist the fun, interactive fold-out feature?

It's the BIG 2015!

What makes our planner system so unique is that it incorporates our 6x8 SN@P! Albums, Pocket Pages and SN@P! Core products. I love that you can easily incorporate pocket pages of any format or design anywhere in your planner, just like I did here with our 3x4 Pocket Pages and 3x4 Cards from the Life Documented 2015 Card Set.  What a fun way to introduce the year in a BIG way!

*TIP:  One of my favorite parts of designing products is focusing on the details - things that customers may not even notice - but we do.  Our whole goal is to make it SIMPLE for you..so we do all the work for you, like these cards - they're double-sided with the large 2015 numbers,  then the backs show through with coordinating titles. 

COLORFUL MONTHLY DIVIDERS 

Again, I love that our system features a variety of options to personalize your planner, incuding these Monthly Dividers that feature a 2 page calendar spread for each month. My favorite part is the designer pattern that introduces each month - in the same bold prints that coordinate with our Life Documented scrapbook products.  You can choose to leave as is - or add a little something like I did.  I knew I wanted to add some sort of 3x4 card to each month & the 3x4 SN@P! 2015 Cards were the perfect fit.  I LOVE that I start each month with the specific dated 2015 month, since the Monthly Dividers are not date specific. I did this for each month and am so happy with the results - try this on your planner and even add washi tape or other embellishments!

TIP:  Did you notice how each monthly 3x4 calandar card 'month' matches the monthly tab color perfectly...yep, it's all in the details for us!

PLAN ON IT!

This is what the Monthly Dividers look like when opened to the month; they'll most likely be the core of your planner.  You'll find a pop of solid color and a basic non-date specific calandar.  We designed this as a 2-page spread because lets face it, your life is BIG and you need plenty of room to plan and organize. 

TIP: Remember the Details!  With all the fun and bright washi strips - well this is where I used those washi tape strips to help me plan my month.  There is so much going on in a single month that using our Basic and Designer Washi Paper Tape is a must to easily plan and coordinate your schedule.  We also offer Calendar Stickers, sized perfectly for our monthly dividers to help you plan your life in a fun way!

TIP: Our Monthly Dividers are not dated, allowing you to start & end your 12 months based on what fits YOUR needs.   The first thing I did when organizing my planner was add the dates to each month so that it's done for the entire year.

THE DAILY GRIND

We offer both Weekly and Daily Planner Inserts to help you plan your life; I'm using both.  Today I'm showing you how I use the Daily Inserts...pretty basic, right?   For me these Daily Inserts are all about functionality.  I'm choosing to focus on the tasks and important items I need to accomplish each day.  There's so much other fun stuff going on in my planner, so I'm keeping these pages basic.  Of course, you have the option of decorating away with washi, clips, stickers and so much more!

TIP:  It was important for me to have lots of space in our planner system and I insisted on adding these Daily Planner inserts to our line up of products.  They come with enough pages for all 365 days - they're not dated so you can start anytime.  We kept the design pretty general so it would fit anyone's life.  I'm using the 1/2/3 at the top for my daily health goals.  I love that the To Do section has plenty of room and then an added hourly scehdule as well.  The notes are perfect for adding reminders and important information.  I love how I can use these daily pages to incorporate my business, family, and personal life all in one!

KEEP IT TOGETHER

Remember this?  When we first launched our SN@P! products a few years ago we added this useful zipper Pouch.  It's the perfect way to store all of your planner goodies - stickers, washi tape sheets, embellishments, & cards all fit into this pouch, ready to go!   I put my pouch at the end so I have easy access to my planner supplies.

FREE PRINTABLES!

 

Now we get to the really fun part!  We've designed these FREE printables to coordinate with your Life Documented planner.  Even better, we'll be offering free printables each month!  

Click here to download January's Free Life Documented Printables - NOTE: this is a large file, so it may take a few minutes to download, depending on your internet connection :)

There are a whopping 12 free printables this month, including:

2015 Calendar
2015 Holidays
January Month in Review
Birthdays
Gift Giving List
Shopping List
Weight Tracker
Food & Fitness Tracker
Who, What, When Where Dashboard
... and 3 Printable Cards to punch & insert in your planner!

TIP: Free printables are on a single PDF document with 13 pages - print off what you want and the quantity you need.  We've added cut marks to each printable, so you can easily trim your pages to size.  

Here's how I've included a few of these Free Printables in my planner -