July 2015 Blog Posts

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07.16.15

We've had tons of rain here in Ohio this summer...more than I can remember there ever being. It would be hard NOT to fall in love with the Summer Vibes collection, but all of it's cheeriness were just what I needed on another rainy afternoon! 

Determined to fill the back of the pocket page that I used for last month's post, I sat at my desk and began sorting through the cards in the Sn@p! set. This set is a bit different in that there are a couple of die cuts and envelopes, all sized to fit into a 3x4 pocket. The camera and 'Summertime' die cuts went straight into my 'must use these' pile and I was off and running.

I paired a 4x4 photo of my daughter and I with a 3x4 card in the top left pocket...I love how it changes up the look of the page so I never feel 'repetitive'. The bonus transparency overlays in the collection pack are all 4x6, so I just laid it over the photo and trimmed it down. The camera die cut didn't need much help being cute, lol...I just added the 'sun kissed' photo sticker in the center of the lens to add some yellow. :)

Reinforcing my mantra that 'it's ok to just let pretty paper do it's thing inside a pocket', the bottom left corner pocket is one of my favorite cards/prints in the set and simply got a few of the photo stickers placed in the center-ish...I stitched around and around to highlight the phrases. I love the collage-y feel of that card!!

Originally I was thinking about placing the 'summertime' die cut in the pocket by itself, but liked it a bit better with some of the driftwood pattern behind it. Again, random stitching and a few enamel dots were enough to jazz it up. The 2x12 pocket along the right side was cut from the Sun Kissed patterned paper...a few stamped phrases + stickers + the 'summer' title sticker and I was done!

I find that I keep sifting through all of the Sn@p! cards from this collection...so many great patterns + phrases to use on just about any project :)

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Supplies
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07.15.15

Hello!  Shellye with you today to share a unique "So Rad" album using an assortment of the collection's Chipboard Frames and other embellishments!
 

I started with the full pack of Chipboard Frames and the 6X6 paper pad from "So Rad".  I filled in each of the frame's windows with a piece of patterned paper that was glued into place.  A matching-sized frame was glued to the back of each.
 

 I used dies to cut small photos to fit the frames or just cut the photos down to size.
 

Stickers, enamel dots, brads and die-cuts were used to dress up the individual pages.
 

Two pockets from the SN@P! Card pack were also added to the album and a tag slipped inside for journaling.
 

 I left some of the smaller frames without any photos and simply embellished them with clear photo stickers and enamel dots.  You can also use the lined papers to create areas for journaling.
 

And don't forget those awesome Chipboard stickers and adhesive brads!
 

Once the pages were finished, I used the small punch of a crop-a-dile and punched holes into the tops of each frame.  Two strands of ball-chain were used to hold the pages together.  The perfect little keepsake!

Thanks for joining us today at Simple Stories!

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07.14.15
Hi everyone!  It's Ashley Horton, and I've got two new layouts to brighten your day, using the Summer Vibes collection!  There's no denying it's Summertime!  And with the warm temps, come popsicles out in the backyard and a lot of time spent in the swimming pool!
 

I started my first layout, with a die cut, to mimic the look of a large sun and cut it from the Yellow Wood/Grid patterned paper.  Then I backed several of the open spots with patterned paper from the 6x6 paper pad.
 

Since I had the large circle element at the center of the layout, I thought it would be fun to create a circular title to go around it.  I used Silhouette Studio and my Cameo to create and cut out the title letters from the 6x6 paper pad.  I wanted the title to really stand out on my layout, so instead of adhering the letters directly to the background paper, I added pop dot adhesive to each of the letters before arranging them around the die cut.

I didn't want to cover any of the title letters or the center die cut, so I placed my photo to the left hand side of the layout.  I used one of the Chipboard Frames from the Summer Vibes collection, along with some Bits & Pieces, Stickers and Chipboard Stickers, to draw attention to the photo.
 


 

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It took me a while to decide on a design for my second layout, because honestly, the Shine On patterned paper with the Bokeh print is so gorgeous on it's own!  I thought about just sticking my photo in the center of the paper and calling it done!!  But I do love to embellish, so I finally came up with a design that I was happy with and that still let the background paper "shine on".
 


 

I wanted a large element in the background, that I could use to ground the frames that I planned to use on the layout, but didn't want to use a large die cut that would cover the background paper.  I decided to go with a large stitched heart, and chose three colors of embroidery floss that coordinated with the Shine On patterned paper.  After I finished stitching around each of the hearts, I added my photo to the center, and the then used the remaining space around the heart, to add the Chipboard Frames.
 


 

I debated whether or not I wanted to back each of the frames, but decided to only back the one at the top of the layout.  This allowed the color from the background paper, and the stitching around the heart to show through the frames.  Then I used several embellishments from the Summer Vibes collection to "decorate" each of the frames.  
 


 

There are so many fun ways to use the Summer Vibes collection to document all of your Summer activities!  I know I'll be using it for a lot more upcoming Summer layouts!  

 

Comments
07.13.15

 

Click here to download your free copy of the So Fancy SN@PBOOKING Guide!  Visit the Project Downloads area of our website for more free downloads!

 

Supplies
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07.11.15

Howdy!  Layle here with you for the final day of the Simple Stories & A Flair for Buttons Product Swap! 

Both design teams have swapped products and will be sharing on our blogs all week long.  Join us for some great inspiration as well as a chance to win a prize package from both A Flair for Buttons & Simple Stories! 

Even better, A Flair for Buttons has created these custom flair to coordinate with our Summer Vibes collection for both teams to use this week!

You can pick up your own FUN custom Summer Vibes Flair here!

Today design team member Mindi Niebuhr rounds out the week with this super summery pocket page spread -  
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Hi everybody ! I am so excited to be here with you today for this product swap with A Flair With Buttons.  These flair buttons are awesome, not to mention they match perfectly with the Summer Vibes Collection. Aren't they cute !! 
 
I tend to do most of my pocket page spreads in a weekly format. This is week 26 that I am going to share with you today. 
 
 
Here is a look at the left side. 
 
 
I love using flair to embellish with. It adds dimension, interest, and character to your pages. I used the Hello Summer flair button on my title card and love the result. 
 
I started off by using the 4x6 journaling card, adding the date and week number. There was some extra space on the bottom so I used it for an extra journaling. Finishing it off with a few stickers. 
 
 
Here are a few close ups.
 
 
 
The kids seem to be repeating the same things over and over again each day. They swim, they take a tub, they sleep and then repeat. I decided to make my own filler card with letter stickers. I cut out the word swim from one of the 4x6 journaling cards.  
 
I made another filler card using a chipboard frame and a flair button. I backed the frame with a journaling card, added a photo sticker and then added the flair button on top. 
 
 
Here is a look at the right side 
 
 
Some close ups. I love to add embellishments to my photos and journaling cards. 
 
 
 
I think this button was my favorite. I journaled on this card about the boys going on their camping trip. I used two stripes of the washi tape and added the flair button on top. 
 
 
That wraps up my Week 26. I hope you have enjoyed my post today. Now go out and create something with some of your favorite Simple Stories products. Don't forget to add some Flair !! 
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Now for even more fun!!  Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and we'll draw one lucky winner on Sunday to win a Summer Vibes prize pack!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you enter, head on over to the A Flair for Buttons blog to see what their team has created.  Make sure to enter there as well - they're giving away $50 worth of flair both here & on their blog!

Want to follow A Flair for Buttons and keep up with all of their great projects & products?  Here you go!

Thanks so much for joining this week, we hope you've found some great inspiration!

 

Comments
07.10.15

Howdy!  Layle here with you for Day 5 of the Simple Stories & A Flair for Buttons Product Swap! 

Both design teams have swapped products and will be sharing on our blogs all week long.  Join us for some great inspiration as well as a chance to win a prize package from both A Flair for Buttons & Simple Stories! 

Even better, A Flair for Buttons has created these custom flair to coordinate with our Summer Vibes collection for both teams to use this week!

You can pick up your own FUN custom Summer Vibes Flair here!

Today design team member Nancy Damiano joins us with this super fun layout - 
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Hi there Simple fans and welcome to the A Flair for Buttons blog hop!   Today I'm using the Summer Vibes collection to highlight one of my favorite vacation photos. Plain white card stock is the perfect backdrop for big doses of color in this collection. 

​To frame out the coordinating flair, I created little nests of machine stitching to add texture and draw attention to the design. 

​Sprinkles of tiny circle punches draw attention to the embellishment clusters and add a little pop of color to the background.

​Surrounding the photo with a chipboard frame, die cuts and a transparency from the Summer Vibes collection is a great way to highlight a favorite photo. I like how the text in the custom flair adds words to the center of the design without distracting from the overall look. Using flair is one of my favorite ways to embellish a page. I placed them in a visual triangle so that they could lead the eye through the page. The custom match made it a snap to use!

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Now for even more fun!!  Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and we'll draw one lucky winner on Sunday to win a Summer Vibes prize pack!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you enter, head on over to the A Flair for Buttons blog to see what their team has created.  Make sure to enter there as well - they're giving away $50 worth of flair both here & on their blog!

Want to follow A Flair for Buttons and keep up with all of their great projects & products?  Here you go!

Join us again here tomorrow for more inspiring projects!

 

Supplies
Comments
07.09.15

Howdy!  Layle here with you for Day 4 of the Simple Stories & A Flair for Buttons Product Swap! 

Both design teams have swapped products and will be sharing on our blogs all week long.  Join us for some great inspiration as well as a chance to win a prize package from both A Flair for Buttons & Simple Stories! 

Even better, A Flair for Buttons has created these custom flair to coordinate with our Summer Vibes collection for both teams to use this week!

You can pick up your own FUN custom Summer Vibes Flair here!

Today design team member Kristine Davidson joins us with this summery pocket page spread - 
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It's Kristine Davidson here today and I'm happy to share a pocket page spread featuring Summer Vibes.  These are photos of my nieces and nephew from a beach vacation last summer. Our summer here on the East Coast is a bit slow this year!!

The colors in the Summer Vibe collection are perfect for beach and summer photos. Since most of my pictures were brown .. of sand it was great to mix in some fun colors in this spread.

I used the Flair Buttons on top of my pocket pages - i like that better than inside my pockets - it just gives me less clump in my pages ;-)

Here are a few close up pictures of my pages.

I added chipboard pieces and also diecuts on my cards for a bit of extra decorating. I love doing that -- it's always so easy to make a spread when you have coordinating pieces of a collection.

This is the right side of my spread. I carried over the theme of adding diecuts, and chipboard pieces as well as flair on top of my pockets again.

and a few close ups again.  Don't you love the colors in this collection? Perfect for Summer !!

Thanks for coming to visit today, and I hope you feel inspired to scrapbook those beach pictures you've been hoarding!  Enjoy creating with your Simple Stories collections ;) For more of my work you can visit my blog kristinedavidson.com or on instragram @KristineDavidson .

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Now for even more fun!!  Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and we'll draw one lucky winner on Sunday to win a Summer Vibes prize pack!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you enter, head on over to the A Flair for Buttons blog to see what their team has created.  Make sure to enter there as well - they're giving away $50 worth of flair both here & on their blog!

Want to follow A Flair for Buttons and keep up with all of their great projects & products?  Here you go!

Join us again here tomorrow for more inspiring projects!

 

Comments
07.08.15

Howdy!  Layle here with you for Day 3 of the Simple Stories & A Flair for Buttons Product Swap! 

Both design teams have swapped products and will be sharing on our blogs all week long.  Join us for some great inspiration as well as a chance to win a prize package from both A Flair for Buttons & Simple Stories! 

Even better, A Flair for Buttons has created these custom flair to coordinate with our Summer Vibes collection for both teams to use this week!

You can pick up your own FUN custom Summer Vibes Flair here!

Today design team member Cari Locken joins us with two - 
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Hello Simple Stories fans.  I'm thrilled to be sharing some layouts with you today because they're full of awesome new goodies!!  With summer in full swing around here it seemed fitting for me to use the new Summer Vibes collection.
 
Here's my first layout called "You Make Me Happy".
 
 
I just love the bright, cheerful colours on this background paper. The 'beams' of sunlight are so fun.  I created my title to follow the lines of the paper edges.
 
 
The die cuts and alpha stickers add so much interest to a project.
 
 
 
I also used the fun Flair button (created by A Flair for Buttons) in the centre of my photo collection. It fit perfectly.
 
 
This collection just makes me happy.
 
 
 
The next layout that I'm sharing with you today is from a recent weekend trip our family took.  We didn't have to go far to enjoy the beauty of nature that is all around us. Plus it was fun to spend time with family.
 
 
I love the Flair buttons so much that I used them 3 times on this layout!!
 
In this picture you can see that I've used a few die cuts, enamel dots and word strip stickers.
 
 
Here I've used another Flair button along with some chipboard embellishments and my journaling block.
 
 
In this picture you'll notice that I've used the new 4x6 Photo Booklet so that I could incorporate more photos onto my layout. I've also used another Flair button and a die cut on the front of the book.
 
 
Here's a closer look at what I did on the inside of the Photo Booklet.
 
I added a 4x6 journal card on the inside flap and did the same thing on the next page as well.
 
 
 
On the plastic pockets I've added some clear photo stickers (in white) and some die cuts.
 
 
 
I love how the 4x6 cards go so perfectly with my photos. 
 
 
The last pages of the booklet ...
 
 
On the back page I used some Washi tape on the square card for some added colour.
 
 
I just love how everything ties together so nicely and creates a fun, inviting and warm feel to this layout.
 
Trust me ... you will have SO much fun with this collection!! And it will just make you HAPPY.  Thanks for stopping by!
 
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Now for even more fun!!  Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and we'll draw one lucky winner on Sunday to win a Summer Vibes prize pack!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you enter, head on over to the A Flair for Buttons blog to see what their team has created.  Make sure to enter there as well - they're giving away $50 worth of flair both here & on their blog!

Want to follow A Flair for Buttons and keep up with all of their great projects & products?  Here you go!

Join us again here tomorrow for more inspiring projects!

 

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